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Banks, Others’ Borrowings from CBN Fell by 66% to N1.4trn in Four Months Analysts attribute decline to high volume of currency in circulation Nume Ekeghe Deposit money banks (DMBs and merchant banks borrowing from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Standing Lending Facility

(SLF) dropped year-on-year (YoY) by 66 per cent to N1.49 trillion in first four months of 2022, from N4.44 trillion in the comparable period of 2021.

Financial institutions in Nigeria

through the SLF borrow funds from the apex bank to meet their financial intermediation role.

The apex bank lends money to banks and merchant banks through the SLF at an interest rate

of 100 basis points (bpts) above the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) of 11.50 per cent.

The trend between January and April 2022, as gathered from the CBN website revealed steady

decline in bank and merchant banks’ borrowings, driven by improvement in the level of liquidity in the interbank system.

However, analysts have said the development was due to low rates

on savings instruments, matured T-bills and bonds have not rolled over, resulting to more currency in circulation.

An analysis of the CBN financial Continued on page 11

PDP Moves NEC to Monday over Zoning of Presidential Ticket…Page 15 Tuesday 3 May, 2022 Vol 27. No 9884. Price: N250

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Adamu to Adeboye: There Are No Signs 2023 Elections Won't Hold... Page 10

Buhari: Rescuing Kidnapped Train Passengers Delicate, Requires Wisdom Assures families victims will safely return Says terrorists using captives as human shields, making their rescue difficult Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said rescuing the kidnapped

passengers of the Kaduna-bound train that was recently attacked by terrorists was a delicate situation, which required wisdom, utmost caution, and proper handling.

Buhari, however, assured the families of the victims that efforts were on-going to ensure the safe return of all those held captive by the terrorists.

The president claimed that the rescue had been made difficult because the terrorists were holding the captives close to places that could be targeted by security opera-

tives in the event of a strong rescue operation, to deter such attack. He directed security agencies and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to provide more regular

and detailed information to the victims’ families on their condition and efforts to save them.

Continued on page 11

Bury Zoning and Bury Nigeria, South/Middle Belt Leaders Warn Declare another eight years of northern presidency unacceptable Iyobosa Uwugiaren and Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has issued a stern warning to those trying to do away with the zoning of the presidency in the country, saying any attempt to end zoning, as being insinuated in some northern quarters, would spell the end for Nigeria.

The leaders condemned a statement credited to the chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Alhaji Ango Abdullahi, that rotation of the presidency between the north and south was “dead and buried”.

They declared that another eight Continued on page 11

IS HE THE ONE?...

L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in convivial mood during the Sallah Homage to the Presidential Villa, Abuja...yesterday .

PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

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

PRAYING FOR PEACE AND SECURITY IN NIGERIA...

President Muhammadu Buhari and other Muslim adherents observing Eid-el-Fitre prayer at the Mambila Barrack, Abuja...yesterday

PHOTO: Sunday Aghaeze

IMF: 20 Sub-Saharan African Countries in Debt Distress, High Risk of Debt Distress Nigeria not listed despite huge public debt burden Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that debt vulnerabilities remains elevated in Sub-Saharan Africa, with no fewer than 20 countries in the region either at high risk of debt distress or already in debt distress.

The Head of the Regional Studies Division in the African Department of IMF, Papa N'Diaye who disclosed this in a new podcast released by the multilateral lender, said debt burden in the region was very heavy at a time

when the social and development needs are very large.

Unsustainable debt could lead to debt distress, where a country is unable to fulfill its financial obligations and resorts to debt restructuring.

Although the IMF chief did not list the 20 African countries in debt distress or high risk of debt distress, the most recently published data indicated that eight countries in the world were in debt distress, 30 at high risk, 24 at moderate risk, and seven countries at low risk of

Access Bank Promotes 800 Employees as it Transitions to Holdco Structure Access Bank Plc has announced the promotion of 800 of its employees following a transparent and robust performance management review in line with global best practices.

The announcement came as the financial giant shored up its transition to a holding company (Holdco) which started on May 1st, 2022.

A statement from the bank explained that its consistent growth over the years had been due to the immeasurable effort and sacrifice of its employees.

“The beneficiaries of this wholescale performance review exercise spanned the bank’s senior, middle, and junior management levels even as the management strives to continuously put employees in the best position to grow and be successful in today’s highly competitive work environment.

“Over the years, Access Bank has demonstrated that employee performance and rewards remain a critical pillar of the Bank’s business

operations.

“The bank has consistently provided adequate resources to deepen core job skills while entrenching a culture of high performance amongst employees,” the statement added.

The bank's penchant for rewarding high performance was particularly highlighted by the annual CEO Awards, one of the programs under it’s ‘We Clap Initiative’ which was designed to support the development of a culture of excellence as well as motivate employees and teams for superior performance.

Recently, Access Bank was named the best institution to work in Nigeria by global professional network company, LinkedIn, having assessed data across seven pillars that serve as identifiers of career progression, namely: the ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity and spread of educational backgrounds.

debt distress.

African countries in high risk of debt distress were listed then as Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Of the eight countries in debt distress globally, all but Grenada are from Africa. They include Chad, Congo Republic, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

The IMF official said the debt service as a ratio to revenue has been increasing, adding that the debt burden is very heavy at a time when the social and development needs are very large.

Despite its N39.556 trillion ($95.77 billion) public debt profile as at December 31,

2021, and over 80 per cent debt service-to-revenue ratio, Nigeria is neither classified as a nation in debt distress nor high risk of debt distress.

N'Diaye said: "So for countries in the region, the space to deal with the impact of the war in Ukraine is very limited, and there will be a need to make difficult choices. First, for us, the priority is really for countries to help the most vulnerable populations mainly through targeted transfers, if possible, especially those countries that have good social safety nets.

"Those that don't have those safety nets could resort to food subsidies and tax cuts. But these will definitely need to be contained both in scope and in time, given the limited fiscal space that countries have."

He stressed that Sub-Saharan African countries would need to try to create more room by improving domestic revenue mobilisation, a s well as making sure that they get the best bang for their bucks by increasing the efficiency of public spending.

According to him, "Sub-Saharan African economies were growing very strongly in 2021. We were expecting the region's average growth to come out at around 3.7 per cent for 2021. It turned out to be 4.5 per cent. And most of that positive surprise, or that momentum, started in the second half of the year.

"But what the war in Ukraine has done, is to put a halt on that momentum. It led to a significant increase in commodity prices, more volatility in global financial markets."

He said inflation pressures have increased quite a lot, adding: "We are now seeing inflation in double digits for the region as a whole over, I think, 11.5 per cent within 2021. We are expecting it, if you look at the period average, to go towards 12.25 percentage points.

“And this is the first time since 2009 that we have this doubledigit projection for inflation. And it reflects mainly higher food prices and higher energy prices.

"And as you can imagine, this will have a big impact on the most vulnerable in the region, increase poverty and potentially could raise social tensions. So for the policy makers in the region, like central bankers in particular, dealing with this inflation and pressure won't be easy because of the... also the impact that the policies could have on growth."

APC Chieftain Decries Petition to Stop Abiodun’s Second Term James Sowole in Abeokuta A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Mr. Adeola Sosanwo, has decried the petition against the Governor of the state, Dapo Aboodun, saying no amount of moves and frivolous petition could stand in the way of the second term ambition of the governor.

Sosanwo, during interaction with journalists, said just as all attempt to stop Abiodun from becoming the governor of the state failed in the build up to 2019 governorship race, any similar attempt under whatever guise was also bound to fail.

The APC chieftain, said

residents of the state, had since decided that the good work of Abiodun must continue till 2027.

Sosanwo, an oil and gas magnate, expressed his position while reacting to the call from the legal representative of the Coalition of Ogun State Students and Youths, that the governor should be probed and disqualified by the ruling party from seeking a second term over allegation that the governor had once been jailed of wire fraud in the US in 1986.

The APC stalwart described all the allegations as tissues of lies and another road to nowhere in an attempt to hinder the good work of Abiodun from continuing beyond 2023.

Sosanwo is a founding member of a political support group, DA Mandate, that on Thursday, presented a nomination form purchased for the governor's second term, to him at his Oke Mosan, Abeokuta office as a sign that his own people want the governor to continue his good job beyond 2023.

He said, "we are all here in the build up to 2019 governorship election when they started with the issue of irregularities in educational qualification which they pursued to Supreme Court but failed.

"The truth is that these are concocted allegations purely out of what I call 'bad bele' politics.

They have tried all that they could

do to ensure that the governor does not succeed but they have failed, governance in the state in the last three years have been so exciting and fulfilling.

"The governor has done wonderfully well in infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, housing, road construction among others, the residents of the state are quite aware of this and if they have by these noble achievements decided to return the governor for another term, what then is the problem?

“I have that assurance that no one could stand in the way of this moving train. The reality is that Gov Dapo Abiodun's second term remain unnegotiable."

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PAYING SALLAH HOMAGE TO THE PALACE...

L-R: Danmasani Ilorin, Engr. Suleiman Yahaya Alapansanpa; Alhaji Yahaya Sariki; Turaki of Ilorin Mallam Saliu Mustapha; Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari; Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe; and Majority Leader Kwara State House of Assembly Hon. Mogaji Olawoyin Abubakar, during the governor's sallah visit to the Emir's Palace, in Ilorin…yesterday

Nigeria’s Oil Under-production Undermines OPEC Projection in April NNPC, partners produced 345,000kpd less last month Cartel to stick with supply plan despite growing pressure Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Nigeria, Libya and a handful of African countries again hobbled the projected oil production plan by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in April, failing to meet the quota allocated to them by the oil producers’ group.

A THISDAY analysis showed yesterday that Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria, drilled as much as 345,000 barrels per day less than its quota in the month under review.

The country produced 1 .39 million barrels per day as against its April allocation of 1.735 million bpd by OPEC. A survey carried out by Reuters for the month, indicated that the increase in OPEC's oil output in April undershot the rise planned under a deal with allies, as declines in Libya and Nigeria offset supply increases by Saudi Arabia and other top producers.

OPEC pumped 28.58 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, up 40,000 bpd from the previous month and short of the 254,000 bpd increase called for under the supply deal.

OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, are slowly relaxing 2020

output cuts as demand recovers from the pandemic. OPEC+ meets on Thursday and would be expected to confirm a previously agreed output hike despite the surge in oil prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The deal called for a 400,000 bpd increase in April from all OPEC+ members, of which about 254,000 bpd is shared by the 10 OPEC producers the agreement covers.

Output undershot the pledged hikes from October to March, with the exception of February as many producers lack the capacity to pump more crude following insufficient investment, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.

As a result, the 10 OPEC members are pumping far less than called for under the deal.

OPEC compliance with pledged cuts was 164 per cent the survey found, as against 151 per cent in March.

But Nigeria’s underperformance was one of the highest hitting over 500 per cent as against the 164 per cent overall.

The biggest drop in output was in Libya, which at one point in April was losing more than 550,000 bpd from blockades on fields and terminals. Libya is one of the OPEC

members exempt from making output cuts.

Nigerian output posted a 40,000 bpd decline month-on-month, the survey found, with lower exports than in March. Force majeure remains in place on the Bonny Light export stream.

The outages limited the increase in OPEC's output as top producers followed through on the pledged hike in supply. The biggest rise in April of 100,000 bpd came from Saudi Arabia.

Iraq, which reported a monthon-month rise in exports, boosted output by 80,000 bpd. The United Arab Emirates followed through on its higher quota and added 40,000 bpd, while Kuwait's output edged up by 10,000 bpd.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has urged the federal government to take urgent steps towards addressing the myriad of challenges that led to the ongoing strike by industrial unions in universities.

In his Workers Day Message, made available to THISDAY yesterday, the President of SSANU, Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim said the union members were suffering lot deprivations despite their sacrifices at work.

Both SSANU and the Nonacademic Staff Union of Universities and Colleges of Education have been on strike along with ASUU over unfulfilled agreement with government.

The union said members have been denied payment of new Minimum Wage Consequential

Adjustment arrears and backlog of Earned allowances in addition to other violations of their rights and privileges.

SSANU President said: "Government should take urgent steps to address the myriad of challenges that led to the ongoing strike by the unions in the universities.

"Toying with the future of our children will spell doom for our dear country. I call on government to look into the demands of all the university based unions and take urgent steps to addressing them, so that our children will go back to school."

Ibrahim noted that this year's Workers Day came when Nigerian workers were passing through perilous and dangerous times.

According to him, "Nigerian workers and indeed members of our great union are confronted with diverse challenges like rising spate

and consultants.

OPEC and allies, known as OPEC+, are unwinding record output cuts made in 2020 yet have been struggling to achieve their planned monthly production increases.

Meanwhile, the OPEC+ alliance may see no need to have to divert from its long-established provide plan when the organisation meets on Thursday.

Delegates said the 23-nation group will possibly ratify one other modest production quota on the back of risk to demand in China from new lockdowns aimed toward combatting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Led by Saudi Arabia, the coalition might have one more reason to

rebuff worldwide calls to open the faucets extra rapidly: loyalty to fellow member Moscow, whose political amity has been an asset for Riyadh and others whereas their ties with the US are underneath pressure.

Whereas worldwide crude costs are inflicting discomfort for customers as they hover close to $110 a barrel, the market has pulled again considerably from the highs struck after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The group has been restoring output halted in the course of the pandemic in modest tranches, and is more likely to rubber-stamp an additional 430,000 barrel-a-day increment for June when it meets May 5.

Geometric Completes Retrofitting of Power Turbine in US, Returns Equipment to Nigeria Ejiofor Alike Hope for the inauguration of the Aba Power Project later this year has been rekindled as the last of the three Geometric Power

Address Workers' Demands to End Strike, SSANU Tells FG Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Iran, also exempt from making output cuts, has been shipping more to China in 2022 and production rose in April, even as talks on reviving its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers have yet to reach a deal.

Production in Venezuela, another exempt producer, edged higher.

Production fell or did not increase in Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon because of a lack of capacity to produce more.

The Reuters survey aims to track supply to the market. It is based on shipping data provided by external sources, Refinitiv Eikon flows data, information from tanker trackers such as Petro-Logistics, as well as information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC

of armed banditry, kidnappings, insurgency, economic hardship and worst of all the inability of government to keep to agreements entered into with all the University based unions in 2009."

Ibrahim lamented that universities have been forced to shut down due to alleged insincerity of government to keep to its promises.

He regretted that the standard of education has continued to go down due to the insensitivity of government and the inability to provide conducive teaching, learning and work environment through lack of provisions of basic facilities that would make them compete favourably with their peers in other parts of the world.

"The morale of university workers are dampened by the poor pay package and the government appears to be paying lip service in funding education, " he said.

Company’s thermal turbines sent to Houston, Texas, in the United States for periodic retrofitting is back in the country.

Geometric Power Aba Limited (GPAL) said in a statement issued yesterday, that two of the three turbines sent out in December 2019, to the United States for a comprehensive check at the plant of General Electric (GE), the world’s biggest electricity equipment manufacturing group in the world, have already been reinstalled at the plant.

The power facility is located at Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba, Abia State. According to the company, the third turbine is now on its way to the plant.

Each of the three natural gas-fired turbines generates 47 megawatts, bringing the total capacity of electricity which can be generated at the Aba Power Project to 141MW, though the plant is licensed to produce 181MW. “If the demand for electricity grows beyond the current installed capacity of 141MW, we will just acquire one more 47MW turbine, which will bring our generation to 181MW,” explained the Managing Director of Geometric Power Aba Limited (GPAL), Mr. Ben Caven, in the statement.

Though the three GE turbines have not been used to generate

electricity since they were installed the first time in 2012 following a dispute with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which has been resolved, Caven stated that Geometric Power found it necessary to return them to the manufacturer for review, “because it is in consonance with the best international engineering practice.”

Caven, who was a former Executive Director of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), further disclosed that Geometric Power, “is lucky to have sent out our three turbines when it did in December 2019, otherwise the retrofitting would have been delayed for long on account of COVID-19, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a pandemic in March 2020.”

Like the two turbines already installed, he said the third turbine would be installed by KS Energy, an American company based in Turkey and run by erstwhile GE executives.

“KS will complete, commission, operate and maintain the turbines," the Chairman of Geometric Power and former Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, was quoted to have said in the statement.

Nnaji, who also disclosed that KS was investing in the Aba Integrated Power Project

owned by Geometric Power group, revealed that the over new 100 kilometres of 33KV power lines and over 40km of 11KVA power lines in Aba built by Geometric Power were installed by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), one of the two greatest electricity companies in the world.

“We have made conscious efforts to ensure that our service is world-class in every sense,” Nnaji added.

“Rather than concrete electric poles, which are sometimes pulled down by strong winds in Nigeria, we have installed gigantic tubular poles, made from steel, and with 10 metres of each buried in the ground.

“This means that the nine LGAs we will be supplying power will continue to have uninterrupted supply even in the unlikely event of a natural disaster,” Nnaji explained.

Commenting on the Aba Power Project, a former engineer with Texas Power and Light who was to serve as a Senior Manager with the defunct Power Holding Company (PHCN) in Lagos, Mr. Cliff Eneh, said that “many cities in the United States do not have power facilities as sophisticated as what Geometric has built in Aba. “Geometric Power is truly a model electricity firm,” he said.

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DINNER FOR ANPA MEMBERS...

L-R: President, Association of Nigeria Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), Christopher Okunseri; Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; his wife, Betsy; Edo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, and his wife, Maryann, during a dinner organised for members of ANPA, in Benin City...yesterday

Adamu to Adeboye: There Are No Signs 2023 Elections Won't Hold Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has assured Nigerians that the 2023 general elections would hold despite negative prophesies by some men of God. Adamu stated this in an interview with THISDAY in his Keffi, Nassarawa State, country home after observing the Eid-fitr prayers session yesterday.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, had on April 3, this year, said he didn't know whether or not there would be an election in 2023 yet.

The 80-year-old cleric had said God had not told him whether there would be an election next year.

Adeboye had said God spoke to him about the 2019 elections more than a year to the exercise, but that the case had not been so with the 2023 election.

He nevertheless added that God might still speak to him about the 2023 general elections but that He

had not spoken to him yet.

He had also said he was not supporting any presidential aspirant ahead of the 2023 general elections.

However, the APC National Chairman insisted that nothing would stop the 2023 elections from holding with the help of God because there were no signs to the contrary at the moment.

Adamu advised religious leaders to pray for the country rather than professing negativities towards it.

He said, "I am an optimist. I believe in God and I believe very strongly in my country and its leadership. I have no reason whatsoever to doubt that there will be election by the grace of God in 2023.

"This is not withstanding, the negative attitudes of some people who are supposed to be godly and sometimes, decided to play gods themselves. They predict bad things for the country but we are optimists.

"We believe very strongly that there will be election by the grace of God and we (APC) are working to win the election. I have no reason; I

Humanitarian Minister Mourns Victims of Collapsed Lagos Building The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq has sympathised with the Lagos state government and families of victims who lost their lives in a building which collapsed on Sunday night on Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos State.

Reports had revealed that the collapsed 3-storey building had been marked for demolition after it showed distress signs, but the occupants remained in the structure.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) who are currently involved in an ongoing joint rescue operation with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the Police have since evacuated the 23 survivors while eight persons had reportedly died in the collapsed building.

The emergency response operatives are continuing the search and rescue operation to rescue other tenants trapped in the building.

Umar Farouq in a statement yesterday, decried the spate of unavoidable disasters in the country and called on concerned authorities to work assiduously towards risk and disaster reduction.

“This is a sad Eid El Fitr celebration with the collapse of a three-storey building in Lagos. I commiserate with the government and people of Lagos state over this tragedy. “My prayers go to the families of those who have lost their lives in this collapsed building and rescued victims who were injured in the incident.

“As soon as the news of the building collapse on Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta Lagos broke, NEMA was activated to respond along with other relevant disaster risk first responders. Unfortunately, many people were trapped in the building and many lives were lost.

“It is also important that those in charge of ensuring the construction of standard buildings in the country ensure that the highest standards are met to avoid these tragedies”.

have seen no sign that there won't be election by the grace of God. "We want to thank the government of President Muhammadu Buhari for what he is doing so far in terms of security, economy and fight against corruption.

"We should be contended in our creator, God who Himself has commanded us to be loyal and patriotic citizens to our country.”

He urged Nigerians to desist from wishing their government bad, “we mustn't wish our country bad.

We must stop saying things that are very negative to our country.”

Adamu added: "There is nothing wrong in having an opinion and while expressing it, our own contributions should not worsen the situation. " It is my hope and prayer

that we will succeed in restoring peace in the country. Don't stand aside and point accusing fingers at government.

"We all have a duty to serve our dear country in different capacities whether we are educated or not "We can perform our duty to our country through our pronouncements in the public domain, through prayers to wish

the country well.

"We need to pray for the peace and tranquility in our country.

That's the duty we owe our God and country.

"That is the duty we owe our God and country. Very soon by the grace of God, we will start the processes of a general election in this country and we hope that it will be peaceful."

N'Assembly Staff Rejects Deferred Payment of Outstanding National Minimum Wage, Threaten Chambers Shutdown May 30 Udora Orizu in Abuja National Assembly workers under the aegis of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have rejected the deferred payment of outstanding national minimum wage by National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to workers from Grade Level 03 to 17.

The workers had during the joint congress held on the 28th March, 2022, expressed grave concern over the prolonged delay in the payment of nine months outstanding minimum wage as well as tent subsidy.

To this end, the workers conceded to the management’s proposal to pay the balance of their minimum wage arrears to all categories of staff on monthly basis within 6 months commencing

from April, 2022 and not later than September, 2022.

But according to new report, the timetable for the payment of balance of minimum wage arrears showed that staff on GL 3-14 are to be paid as from May 2022 December 2022; GL 15 - January 2023; GL 16 - February 2023; GL 17 - March 2023.

After extensive deliberation on the outcome of the meeting, the workers unanimously rejected the proposal, and alleged that the NASC Chairman compromised with the Clerk for the National Assembly (CNA), Amos Ojo. The aggrieved workers threatened to shut down legislative activities and offices at the expiration of the May 30, 2022 ultimatum.

According to them, "Why will payment of the minimum wage

be split in the first place? The management has realised how weak the union and staff are and they are capitalising on that to ride on our collective sensibility. “We take anything they place on table to us and they never agree with us on anything. Will the same management or commission scrap all the Directorates and other positions created by the same condition of service until they get the approval from MSIWC? What business does our condition of service have with MSIWC? "No one is even talking about leave allowances which is part of approved condition of service that was implemented last year. Leave allowance was paid to staff last year.

“Up till now 2022 leave grant has not been paid. NASS management still needs approval from salaries

income and wages commission.

This is wicked; who is deceiving who here please? Was the minimum wage arrears not captured in the 2021 budget of NASS? If yes, was the money released to NASS Management?

They stated further, "What about the improved Condition of Service Allowances provision for NASS Staff in the 2021/2022 Budget? Was the money released or not? What does the record from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning says about releases and cash backing of funds meant for NASS in the last 3 years?

“The EXCO should search for answers to the above questions and bring the results to the Congress so as to determine the next line of action.”

Presidential Pardon: Group Decries Delay in Effecting Nyame, Dariye Release Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The Renaissance Group for Better Nigeria, a pressure group in Plateau State has alleged a grand plot to frustrate the release of the former Governors of Taraba State, Rev. Jolly Nyame, Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and 152 others recently granted a pardon by the National Council of State.

Nyame, Dariye and others were recently granted a pardon by the National Council of State on account of ill health and other reasons.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Jonathan Ibrahim expressed

surprise and disappointment that weeks after the pardon had been announced, nothing has been done to effect their release from custody.

According to Ibrahim, there should be no need for delay since the pardon was granted by the highest decision making body in the country adding that the decision of the body supposed to be acted on without much ado to avoid a negative impression.

"We are surprised that they are still been held and many Nigerians especially their loved one is beginning to have the impression that they are still being held for certain political reasons which

are not clear to many.

"We are therefore calling on all relevant authorities, especially the Ministry of Justice to do all that that is required and necessary to facilitate their release to avoid unnecessary insinuations. More so that their political associates and families are eager and anxiously waiting for their arrival.

“We equally learnt that since the pronouncement of their pardon, friends, relations and associates have been trooping into Kuje prison to receive them.

But often went back frustrated, this should not be the case, the decision of this apex body needs to be respected and acted upon

with quick dispatch.

"In a democracy, issue like this should not be delayed because keeping them longer than necessary means their fundamental human rights being trampled upon.”

According to him, “the last we heard was that the person who was supposed to process the papers was out of the country for Lesser Hajj, and now that the person is back, there should be no room for delay anymore.”

The group therefore appealed to the authority concerned, especially, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to expedite action on their release.

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CBN: Nigeria Requires N60bn Annually to Meet Local Demand for Palm Oil Disburses N45.3 billion to boost production James Emejo in Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday said the country needed about N60 billion annually for the importation of palm oil to meet domestic consumption.

The bank also stated that to date, a total sum of over N45.03 billion had been disbursed to stakeholders in the oil palm industry to aid the cultivation of about 31, 442 hectares to further grow the commodity.

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, in a document obtained

by THISDAY, said the apex bank’s intervention would help unleash the potential of the oil palm value chain with accompanying support for the economic diversification plan as well as the industrialisation aspiration of the country.

The importation demand was expected to cover both the Technical Palm Oil (TPO) used in industry and Special Palm Oil (SPO) used by households.

According to the apex bank, the country’s palm oil production per annum is currently estimated at

1,250,000 million metric tons (MT) with demand valued at 2,500,00 MT per annum.

According to the CBN, for the country to achieve 50 per cent import substitution through production upgrade within the next 10 years, there was need to bridge demand deficits for domestic production of fresh fruit bunches from 8.5 million MT in 2010 to about 10 million MT. According to the fourth quarter 2021 trade statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), crude palm oil imports from China totaled N20.28 billion and N16.49 billion from Malaysia as well as palm olein worth N31.43 billion imported from Malaysia.

The ABP was launched in 2015 to curtail excessive imports particularly palm oil and other food products that could be competitively grown in the country.

Emefiele, said recently that the achievements so far recorded in the implementation of the ABP had started to record giant strides in the production of maize and cassava and expressed optimism

that in the next 12 months, palm produce harvests would have commenced in the country.

The CBN governor, who stressed that agriculture remained a strong pillar for Nigerian economy, had expressed satisfaction over the level of interest shown in agriculture and the tremendous impacts that the sector had recorded in the

last six years.

Emefiele, like several other Nigerians, had particularly wondered how the country would have coped with the rising prices of food and commodity items across the world - without the foresight to revamp agriculture.

The apex bank boss further disclosed that the ultimate objective

of the CBN intervention in the oil palm sector was to overtake Thailand and Colombia to become the third-largest producer over the next few years through increased oil palm production by 2028.

He said, “Core objectives of the intervention include, to meet local demand for palm oil and improve local processing quality

and standards; conserve foreign exchange; create jobs and enhance the skills of Nigerian people along the oil palm value chain.”

Other objectives of the funding support to the sector is to facilitate easier access to funding for oil majors, SMEs and smallholder farmers as well as improve and grow the economy.

Sylva: OPEC, Russia, Others Ready to Invest in Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project Says venture to be ready after Buhari administration

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva yesterday disclosed that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia are some of the international bodies ready to buy into the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project.

The Minister who made this known to newsmen at the State House, Abuja, after the Sallah homage paid on President Muhammadu Buhari, however, noted that the

project would not be completed by the current administration.

According to the minister, the project, which is an extension of the West African Gas Pipeline project and already delivering gas from Nigeria up to Ghana, was still at the level of studies and finding funding partners, to take it to Morocco where it would connect the European market.

Providing an update on the project, Sylva said, “the Nigerian, Morocco gas pipeline is a continuation of the West African

Gas Pipeline project, which has already gotten to Ghana, it is already operational connecting Nigeria to Benin Republic, to Togo and to Ghana."

“We want to continue that same pipeline all the way to Morocco down the coast. Right now, we are still at the level of studies, and of course, we are at the level of securing the funding for this project and a lot of people are indicating interest”, he explained.

Commenting on securing funding partners, the minister said, “we

have not totally concluded on the financial arrangement. I have just said that a lot of people are showing interest. There is a lot of international interest, investors interest in the project, but we have not really identified investors that we want to go with.

“For the moment, the two investors in this project are Nigeria and Morocco, we are the two countries that are ready to come together to develop this pipeline and a lot of other investors are also interested in having a piece of the action.

however, that defeating the terrorists and bandits requires more than weapons.

“We also need human intelligence, which is necessary to frustrate terrorist plans. The people and community leaders should help our security officials with information about the activities or movements of criminal groups."

Speaking further, the president said his administration had allocated huge resources to improve the capacity of the security forces through timely and adequate supply of equipment and improving the welfare of personnel to boost their morale.

He said Abuja had witnessed remarkable improvement in terms of security, and claimed that in the past, terrorists had made it almost impossible to lead normal lives in the capital city.

The president said the completion of the Abuja light rail was one of

the major projects embarked on by the administration for the inhabitants, as development of infrastructure remained essential to economic growth. He added that the government would continue to give serious attention to the town and link roads to other states as well as electricity and power.

Osinbajo, at the occasion, thanked God for giving Buhari “all that you have required to tackle these challenges and for giving you the life and strength to tackle the challenges and to surmount the challenges.”

The vice president noted that despite the challenges, Nigeria remained united. He stated, “Every generation of leaders is confronted with its own problems. There is no leader that is not confronted with his own or her own problems.”

Osinbajo expressed gratitude to the president, on behalf of the invited guests, for hosting the gathering.

BUHARI: RESCUING KIDNAPPED TRAIN PASSENGERS DELICATE, REQUIRES WISDOM The vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, in his own remarks, restated the country’s trust in God, praying that the Almighty would fulfil the heart desires of all Muslims and every Nigerian.

Terrorists had on March 28 attacked a Kaduna-bound train, killing no fewer than nine people, injuring several others, and abducting most of the passengers.

The president's assurances on efforts to secure the victims’ release came on the heels of a recent lawsuit filed against him by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) over failure to protect the rights to life, security, and dignity of the victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack. SERAP also sued the president for his failure to secure the safe release of those held captive by the terrorists.

But speaking yesterday while

receiving some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Sallah homage at the State House, Abuja, Buhari said the government would explore every opportunity to rescue the captives alive and unhurt. He lamented that terrorists, unlike professional soldiers, did not respect the rules of engagement and could resort to harming hostages, when attacked.

Buhari urged Nigerians to create a hostile environment for criminals hiding in communities, saying by sheltering criminals, they are endangering their own security and the security of their own communities. He said strong synergy between security agencies and communities would make a huge difference in efforts to defeat banditry and terrorism in the country.

The president allayed fears that

BANKS, OTHERS’ BORROWINGS FROM CBN FELL BY 66% TO N1.4TRN IN FOUR MONTHS data revealed that banks and other financial institutions in January 2022, borrowed N313.48 billion, which was a decline of 25.5 per cent from N426.7 billion borrowed in January 2021.

In February, the total amount borrowed by banks and merchant banks dropped further by 70 per cent to N186.48 billion from N621.7 billion in February 2021.

The trend continued in March 2022, as the CBN data revealed that N377 billion was borrowed by banks and merchant banks compared to N904.68 billion in March 2021. Also, the amount borrowed by banks and merchants’ banks in April 2022 stood at N612.43 billion, a 75.4 per cent decline from N2.48 trillion reported by the CBN in April 2021.

Finance experts attributed the development to improved business environment post Covid-19, stressing that this paved the way for banks and merchant banks to halt borrowing from the CBN this year.

In a chat with THISDAY, the Head, Financial Institutions’ Ratings Agusto & Co, Mr. Ayokunle Olubunmi said: “There are presently low rates, and remember that before 2019, T-bills were actually high and a lot of those instruments are maturing now, so there is money in circulation. And this has been the trend over the last couple of months.”

He, however predicted that the CBN might soon put out measures to curb excess liquidity in circulation.

“Once CBN feels the amount of

liquidity in circulation is too much, they have different instruments they can use to mop it up. Also remember that as electioneering starts there would be more money in circulation and CBN can get more aggressive,” he added.

On his part, the Vice President, Highcap Securities Limited, Mr. David Adnori said uncertainty in the nation’s economy forced banks and merchant banks to shun borrowing from CBN. According to him: “Banks and merchant banks have excess liquidity and might not need to borrow from CBN. Besides, economic uncertainty has started to surface following the 2023 general elections.”

In his reaction, analysts at PAC Holdings, Mr. Wole Adeyeye maintained that banks and merchant banks in first four months of 2021, borrowed enough funds from the CBN to meet their daily obligations.

He stressed that the nation’s economy in 2021, had normalised, giving room for banks and merchant banks to reduce borrowing from the CBN in 2022.

Adeyeye explained that banks and merchant banks are maintaining effective risk management in a move to cut down down non-performing Loan (NPL) in the financial sector.

He added that: “Banks and merchant banks with increasing deposit from customers prefer to lend to CBN rather than their customers to maintain NPL below five per cent threshold demanded

by CBN.”

bandits could grow to yet another big challenge, like the Boko Haram threat, assuring Nigerians that the administration would not allow such to happen, as the welfare of the people of Abuja and all Nigerians remained paramount.

Buhari stated, "As we celebrate this occasion with joy amidst friends and family members, we are fully conscious of the fact that many families in our country are in a state of fear and anxiety on account of the many captives held by terrorists against their will, including those taken away after the tragic bombing of the Abuja-Kaduna train.

“I have directed security agencies to ensure quick and safe recovery of all victims of kidnapping. I urge the railway management to immediately set up a situation room for the coordination of the rescue mission and for a minute-by-minute engagement with the families of the captives.

“This should ease their pain and anxiety as we push the military to finding a safe return to their families. My aim is to see all those in captivity safely rescued. Let me assure Nigerians that the bandits are just pushing their luck, but this is only for a while before they are finally crushed.

“They are using civilians as human shields, thereby making it difficult to confront them directly.

Terrorists don't care about killing their hostages if they come under attack. It's a delicate situation that requires wisdom, caution and also patience. Any rescue operation that results in the death of any hostage cannot be deemed a success.

“The government doesn't want this kind of tragic outcome. It's a complex situation that demands proper handling. The primary objective of any rescue operation is to free the hostages safely, unharmed and alive. Let me make it clear,

BURY ZONING AND BURY NIGERIA, SOUTH/MIDDLE BELT LEADERS WARN years of northern presidency, after President Muhammadu Buhari, was unacceptable.

The position of the leaders was contained in a joint statement yesterday by National Leader, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), and Chairman, SMBLF, Chief Edwin Clark; leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Professor George Obiozor; and National President, Middle Belt Forum, Pogu Bitrus. They said they were prepared for those attempting to upturn a practice – zoning – that had sustained the country.

The group warned that any attempt to kill and bury the agelong power rotation agreement between the north and south was tantamount to an attempt to kill and bury Nigeria.

SMBLF warned that the move to tinker with the rotation of the presidency was inimical to national unity.

The Southern and Middle Belt leaders also warned Abdullahi’s NEF, and wondered if the northern body was now out to dissolve the country.

The statement said, “SMBLF says it is rather unfortunate and absurd that Ango Abdullahi and his Northern Elders Forum would make such twaddle. Are they now ready to dissolve the country? What has happened that zoning, which has been a sine qua non in the nation’s political progression, has now become a ‘dead and buried’ issue, in the irrational contemplations of Ango Abdullahi and his co-travellers?

“Could it be due to the inca-

pacity, insipidity and disastrous performance of the Buhari administration or the narcissistic desire to perpetuate Hausa/Fulani hegemony? It has become necessary to underscore that Ango Abdullahi, with his established disposition of inconsistency and duplicity, is one of the people disturbing the polity and peace of Nigeria.

“A few days ago, this same Ango fumbled with the idea of a so-called consensus arrangement for northern presidential aspirants, he has not come out of it. Now he has sprung up with this reckless statement that zoning is dead and buried. Ango and his northern elders do not have the power to kill and bury zoning. If they want to kill and bury Nigeria, then we are ready for them.”

The elder statesmen stated that the “history of zoning between the north and the south is well-known to everybody in this country and has been respected by all the major political parties in Nigeria.” They recalled that all the ruling political parties from the Second Republic, such as the now defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and the current opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had adhered to the principle of zoning.

The elders also accused the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Adamu Abdullahi, of outright dishonesty and chicanery for saying APC had not decided the zoning of the presidency.

According to SMBLF, “More so, earlier this year, the nation and global audience were told

by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of

Kaduna State on a national/ satellite television station, Channels Television, that zoning of the party and political elective offices exists in the APC. “The governor further hinted that all the positions earlier held by the north would be swapped with the south and vice versa. And this was inclusive of the presidency. That was the reason why only northerners vied for the national chairmanship of the party, which was zoned to the north and micro-zoned to the North-central, during the party’s national convention in March this year.

“Sadly, we are now being told by the newly ‘imposed’ national chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, that the APC has not decided on the zoning of the presidency. Such a statement at this stage, with about 30 days to the presidential primaries, amounts to outright dishonesty and chicanery.

Who are they trying to deceive and who will allow them?

“It becomes even more upsetting given the fact that the statement came from someone who himself emerged as National Chairman of the APC through the policy of rotation and zoning.”

The southern leaders added, “It is haughty for anybody to say that this is the time to consider the quality of candidates. Where in Nigeria is deficient in quality candidates? Is it the south or the north? Everyone of the individuals from the south, who has indicated interest to contest for the presidency, both in APC and in PDP, is qualified to be President of Nigeria.

“They should stop their trickery.

Enough is enough! We cannot have a northerner president for eight years and then welcome another northern president for another eight years or more. That is unacceptable to us. We, therefore, strongly caution all our governors, former governors, and top politicians not to accept the vice presidency nomination from any northern presidential candidate.

“We urge the 17 southern governors, who unanimously declared that the presidency must come to the south in May last year, at Asaba, Delta State, to remain resolute. They have our absolute support for the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum and we stand firmly by them. This country belongs to all of us!

“Let everybody take this as a serious warning that the issue of zoning cannot be swept under the carpet; it cannot be dead and buried, if zoning is buried, Nigeria is, then, buried. And if they are thinking that this is a joke, let it be known that it is not. If we cannot abide by the established principle of rotation and zoning between the north and the south, then we should not continue with one Nigeria; we should go back to what we were as a people before the amalgamation of 1914.

“We also earnestly call on the people of the Middle Belt Region and all minorities in Nigeria to wake up and work conscientiously with the southerners, if we do, the prospects will be pellucid.

This was demonstrated at the National Conference of 2014 to the mortification of those who think this country belongs to them alone.”

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TUESDAY, ͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

MARKING END OF FASTING FESTIVITIES...

L-R: Head of Ogun State Civil Service, Dr. Nafiu Aigoro; Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo; Governor Dapo Abiodun and his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Shuaib Salisu, during the end of fasting festivities (Eid-el-Fitri) with the League of Imams and Alfas at the Presidential Lodge, Ibara, Abeokuta...yesterday

World Press Freedom Day: Buhari Warns Media against Sponsored Reports Ahead of 2023 Polls Reiterates govt's commitment to press freedom Editors say media freedom under attack in Nigeria Urge FG to make newsprints, broadcast equipment tax-free Senate president hails journalists Deji Elumoye and Ogheneuvede Ohwovoriole in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has warned the media against carrying sponsored political reports and stories ahead of the 2023 general elections in the country.

In a message to mark the World Press Freedom Day, observed every year on May 3, President Buhari, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, rejoiced with the Nigerian media, and recognised their role in strengthening democracy.

He charged the Nigerian Press to use World Press Freedom Day to reflect on the need to embrace the best professional standards and practices, especially in the build-up to the forthcoming general elections.

The president noted that the free performance of media roles and responsibilities during the electoral process was as important as the sanctity and will of Nigerians, expressed through the ballot box.

With the elections in sight, the president urged the media to be mindful of sponsored political news or publications capable of inciting hatred, division, violence, and chaos in the country, while also ensuring that the electoral umpire and other stakeholders play their roles in delivering free, fair, credible and transparent elections to Nigerians.

Buhari hailed the courage and determination of those who daily go the extra time, sometimes at great personal risks, to keep the society well informed.

In fostering the pursuit of journalism in the country, the President reiterated the Nigerian government's commitment to freedom of the press, pledging to continue ensuring the protection of the rights and privileges of journalists in the lawful performance of their professional duties. ‘‘We must stay united in supporting media professionals who work hard to de-escalate violent conflict and promote peaceful societies without compromising the responsibility to report,’’ he said, urging government information managers to ensure that the press and the general public have access to facts and figures of government information, without tears.

In line with the theme of this year's World Press Freedom Day, ''Journalism under digital siege,” President Buhari assured that government agencies under his watch would always stand against actions that are capable of limiting the preservation of the freedom of the Press guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, in commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day today, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has argued that the inalienable rights to access and disseminate information through an independent press was under attack in the country and called for urgent steps to protect the media.

According to the NGE, democracy in the county would

be in danger when a free press is threatened.

In statement signed by the NGE’s President, Mustapha Isah and the General Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, yesterday, the professional group of all the editors in Nigeria, said while the threat to the media freedom in Nigeria was real, the impact on the state of democracy in the country would be very dangerous, if not checked.

“Today is a day globally, to remind governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among journalists and other media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.

“We need to remind governments at all levels in Nigeria that a free and independent media that can keep the people informed and hold leaders accountable, is essential for a strong and sustainable democracy,

including free and fair elections.

“Without it, Nigerians cannot make informed decisions about how they are governed; and address human rights abuses, corruption and abuse of power,” the editors stated.

The Guild said its members were concerned that elected leaders in Nigeria, who should be press freedom dependable protectors, have made several overt attempts to silence the media voices through propose legislations – that clearly seek to criminalise journalism practice in the country.

The editors added that apart from the regular attacks on journalists carrying out their legitimate editorial assignments by overzealous security agents, “the current attempts to criminalise journalism practice in the country through obnoxious proposed laws, the suffocating economic environment and harsh

Commuters traveling along AdoIkere- Akure road in Ekiti State had a hectic day yesterday as residents blocked the road to protest incessant kidnapping and robbery in that section of the capital city.

The protesters, who were from Irede community , Ajebandele area of the capital city, were protesting the alleged kidnapping of a Pastor, Julius Osunluyi, in the area, on Sunday evening, by suspected abductors.

The placard -carrying protesters blocked the major highway, thereby causing chaotic traffic jam in the axis for over four hours.

Commuters coming into Ado-Ekiti from either Akure or Ikere and those traveling out of the Metropolis were trapped for several hours with their vehicles stagnant due to the blockade by

visibly angered protesters.

The Hausa people resident at the Muslim dominated Shasha area of Ikere Ekiti, had to disembark from their cars and motorbikes and trekked over two kilometres to get to the praying grounds at Ajilosun.

Gun-wielding men , suspected to be kidnappers, were said to have besieged the Pastor's church Sunday evening and abducted him.

Addressing the people, one of the protesters, who identified himself as Ajayi Olayiwola, said the protest became imperative to compel the Police Division at Ologede Police station to provide the necessary security for the populace in the area.

Olayiwola accused the policemen operating in the area of laxity, saying several entreaties made to them to extend patrol to the area were rebuffed for no stated reason.

He added that over five cases of

against any violations of media freedom - this should include speaking out against violence against journalists and authorities’ failure/ refusal to identify and prosecute attackers.’’

The NGE also called on the federal government to make newsprints, broadcast equipment and all other consumables in the media sector tax free, in order to save the media from total collapse.

“The media is a strong pillar of democracy; it is the oxygen of the democratic space; and there is urgent need by the federal government to make intervention to save it from collapsing,” the editors added.

In a related development, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, had felicitated Nigerian journalists as they marked the World Press Freedom Day. Continued online

2023: Peter Obi Pledges to Boost Food Exports, Tackle Poverty Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Former Governor of Anambra State and Presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi has declared that he would pull Nigerians out of poverty and make the country a food export machinery if elected into office in 2023.

Obi who spoke in Port Harcourt,

yesterday, while addressing journalists after his consultation meeting with PDP delegates in Rivers state, stressed that he would end the era of ‘sharing formula’ and introduce ‘production formula.’

In addition, he said if he assumes office as the president in 2023, he would ensure human and environmental development, adding that his government would promote youth development.

Ekiti Residents Block Road, Protest Incessant Kidnapping Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

political/economic policies of the federal government, have in the past few years, made it almost impossible for the media sector to carry out its constitutional responsibility for the benefit of the citizens.”

The NGE added, “There is urgent need to protect the media; because the impact of the suffocating economic and political environment being created by the government will be very dangerous to our democracy. A threat to the media is a threat to our democracy.

“Governments at all levels must take the lead in making sure that their actions do not inspire violations of press freedom. A democratic society like Nigeria should know that it has a crucial role to play in maintaining media freedom and facilitating access to public information.

“Government should regularly take strong and immediate action

Kidnappings, had been witnessed in the area in the last three months, describing the situation as terrifying and disturbing.

He said some of the kidnapping and robbery cases witnessed in the area could have been averted, if the police had extended their patrol to the axis.

"The state of insecurity in Irede community area is alarming as we could no longer sleep with our two eyes closed.

"This protest was to call the attention of appropriate authorities to find solution to the ugly development, particularly the police.

"This disruption of free flow of vehicles is to send a signal to the public about our plight and for the police Command to do the right thing," he added.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Mr.

Sunday Abutu, said the command swung into action and had started investigating the Pastor's alleged kidnap.

He said the Police Commissioner, Mr. Moronkeji Adesina, had ordered intensive patrol day and night in the area and across Ekiti to stem the tides of criminality.

"The police in Ekiti are not taking anything to chances. We are doing our best to tackle crime and criminality.

"The CP had ordered our patrol teams and team of detectives to up their games and ensure that those perpetrating crimes are brought to book.

"If you notice, our night patrol had increased. And the CP had urged Rapid Response Squad to trail the alleged kidnapers and bring the man out from their den hale and hearty", Abutu said.

Asked how he feels coming to Rivers state, knowing that the state Governor was also in the race, he said, "PDP is a family, I am here on the express permission of him (Wike).

"Apart from that he knows I am here, I did mention that I paid my respect to his infrastructural development and I went on to say what is wrong with this country.

"Just like I have said to PDP delegates all over Nigeria, what they have to do is to look at the way our country is today and ask which society do I want my children to live in, and how do we build a better place for them, before you elect people that are going to be your candidate.

"For me, what we urgently need in this country, is to pull our youths out of poverty. Start putting money into human infrastructure to develop the country.

"You cannot have a country where you are 158/162 (158 over 162), in human development index and you think you can develop, it is not going to work. So, we need to be pulled people out of poverty. We cannot allow our young people in their young age, with the resources of this nation to be living where they have no mean of livelihood."

Also asked why he said the country has nothing left to share, Obi maintained that, "there is nothing left to share, nothing, anybody who is expecting any

sharing forget it, it is finished, we are now borrowing money.

"That is why I said my basic function is to move the country from consumption to production, no more sharing formula I am going to put production formula in place.”

Speaking further on his area of focus, the Anambra Governor said, "We must feed ourselves, we have a lot of land all over Nigeria, like Niger State is 76.3 Square kilometers of land and they cannot feed themselves, they cannot feed Nigeria. Netherlands is 33,000 square meters and they did 123 billion food export, more than what we earn from oil.

"I am going to change everything we have here; we are going to be food export machinery. Port Harcourt for example has Onne Port, we have Aba, we have Nnewi, we are going to export everything, Nigeria is going to be an export country and never again a sharing country, sharing is finished, there is nothing to share again." he reiterated.

Obi however, described the reception given him in Rivers as fantastic, warm and cordial.

Earlier, the state Chairman of PDP, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, described the Peter Obi as committed party members who has passion for development.

He noted that the state governor, Wike had announced that he would support whoever the party chooses at the primaries as candidate for the presidential election.

TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN DESK

COMPILED BY BAYO AKINLOYE

US Diplomats Resume Some Activities in Ukraine A US diplomat said Monday the United States could reopen its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, soon.

Chargé d’affaires Kristina Kvien said during a press conference in Kyiv that the US will still wait for a determination by security professionals before any reopening.

“When they tell us we can go back, we will go back,” she said.

Kvien said US diplomats would begin making day trips to the Ukraine capital over the next couple of weeks.

“We are thrilled to be back and will continue our efforts to do everything possible here on the ground to help Ukraine win this war.”

“I would say the message to Russia is, ‘You failed.’ Ukraine is still standing,” Kvien added.

The US Embassy was shuttered almost two weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said some US diplomats would start visiting Lviv in the western part of the country.

The news of a resumption of US diplomatic activities in Ukraine comes in the wake of several high-profile trips to the country by US officials, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Israel Lashes Out at Russia over Lavrov’s Nazism Remarks Israel on Monday lashed out at Russia over “unforgivable” comments by its foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism — including claims that Adolf Hitler was Jewish. Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the remarks blamed Jews for their own murder in the Holocaust.

It was a steep decline in the ties between the two countries at a time when Israel sought to stake out a neutral position between Russia and Ukraine and remain in Russia’s good stead for its security needs in the Middle East.

Asked in an interview with an Italian news channel about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to “denazify” the country, Sergey Lavrov said that Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even if some figures, including the country’s president, were Jewish.

“Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it doesn’t mean anything,” he said, speaking to the station in Russian, dubbed over by an Italian translation.

In some of the harshest remarks since the start of the war in Ukraine, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Lavrov’s statement “unforgivable and scandalous and a horrible historical error.”

“The Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust,” Lapid said. “The lowest level of racism against Jews is to blame Jews themselves for antisemitism.”

Chad to Delay National Peace Dialogue Chad’s military government has announced it is postponing the start of landmark national talks with opposition forces and rebels as preparatory negotiations between the two sides drag out in Qatar.

The landlocked African nation was thrown into turmoil after long-time leader Idriss Deby died fighting rebels last April.

His son Mahamat Idriss Deby seized control but promised free elections this year.

Ahead of these, he had wanted a national dialogue to start on May 10.

Before that dialogue, the government and more than 40 opposition groups sent delegations to Doha for preliminary talks.

But they have spent much of the time in luxury hotels and have yet to meet face-to-face as the Qatari mediators seek to establish enough common ground for the two sides to begin full talks.

On Sunday, the Chadian Foreign Ministry said it had agreed “to postpone the inclusive national dialogue to a later date to be decided, after consultations with the relevant institutions and political actors.”

Earlier, Doha had called for the postponement, saying its mediation was making “tangible” progress at “a good pace.”

The national talks had already been pushed back from February.

Qatar said a new delay would “give the participating parties more time to reach a peace agreement, in preparation for the convening of the comprehensive national dialogue.”

Ukraine Expects Further Civilian Evacuation from Mariupol Steel Plant Ukrainian officials said they expect more civilians will be able to evacuate from the besieged city of Mariupol on Monday.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message that more than 100 civilians were able to leave Sunday and that they were due to arrive Monday in Zaporizhzhia, about 200 kilometres away.

With Russian troops taking control of the rest of Mariupol, hundreds of civilians and an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian troops have been holed up at the Azovstal steelworks. Multiple earlier attempts to evacuate civilians from the site fell apart, with Ukraine accusing Russia of shelling evacuation routes.

“For the first time, there were two days of real cease-fire on this territory,” Zelenskyy said in the message Sunday.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called the situation at Azovstal “a real humanitarian catastrophe” with people running low on food, water and medicine.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross conducted Sunday’s evacuation, calling it a “safe passage operation.”

Russia’s Bolshoi Scraps Performances by Critical Directors Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre has announced it is cancelling the performances directed by Kirill Serebrennikov and Timofey Kulyabin, who have spoken out against Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Late Sunday, Russia’s top theatre announced that instead of the three performances of “Nureev,” a ballet directed by Serebrennikov, the audiences this week will see a production of Aram Khachaturian’s ballet, “Spartacus.”

The prestigious theatre also said that instead of “Don Pasquale,” a comic opera by Gaetano Donizetti directed by Timofey Kulyabin, audiences this week will see a production of Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.”

The Bolshoi did not give any reason for the cancellations and spokeswoman Katerina Novikova told AFP on Monday that she had no “official” comment.

The Bolshoi performed “Spartacus” in early April, saying that proceeds would be used to help the families of Russian troops who died in Ukraine.

Serebrennikov, 52, was allowed in March to leave Russia, where he had been found guilty in 2020 of embezzling funds at Moscow’s Gogol Centre theatre. His supporters say the conviction

was revenge for his criticism of authoritarianism and homophobia under President Vladimir Putin.

EU Accuses Apple of Abusing Its Pay Market On Monday, the European Union accused Apple of abusing its dominant Apple Pay market position to prevent other companies from competing in contactless payment technologies.

“Apple has built a closed ecosystem around its devices and its operating system, iOS. And Apple controls the gates to this ecosystem, setting the rules of the game for anyone who wants to reach consumers using Apple devices,” EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said. “By excluding others from the game, Apple has unfairly shielded its Apple Pay wallets from competition.”

The 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, the European Commission, said Apple’s practice “has an exclusionary effect on competitors and leads to less innovation and less choice for consumers for mobile wallets on iPhones.”

The commission has not disclosed what, if any, fines could be levied against Apple should it be found in violation of antitrust laws.

In response, Apple said it would cooperate with the commission.

The company said it “will continue to engage with the commission to ensure European consumers have access to the payment option of their choice in a safe and secure environment.”

The commission has been investigating several aspects of Apple’s business practices in Europe since 2020, including the possibility the company violates European antitrust laws over music streaming and the app store.

Tourists Arriving in New Zealand after COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted Overseas tourists have been allowed to enter New Zealand for the first time in over two years starting Monday.

The island nation known for its natural beauty enacted some of the strictest lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including very restrictive travel limitations.

The country had reopened for tourists from Australia weeks ago, but the new relaxation of restrictions now allows tourists from over 60 countries to visit, including most European countries and the US. “Today is a day to celebrate and is a big moment in our reconnection with the world,” said Tourism Minister Stuart Nash.

Tourists must show they are fully vaccinated and test negative for the virus.

Citizens of China, India and other countries

not given a waiver Monday are still not allowed to visit.

Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for 5% of the country’s economic activity and 20% of its foreign income.

On Monday, 43 international flights carrying around 9,000 passengers were scheduled to leave or arrive at Auckland International Airport, Reuters reported.

Australian Airline Plans Record-Breaking Flights to London, New York Australian airline Qantas has announced plans for record-breaking direct flights from its biggest city, Sydney, to London and New York. Experts say the ultra-long-haul flights are one of modern aviation’s last great challenges.

At more than 17,000 kilometres, Sydney to London would be the world’s longest commercial flight. The chief executive of Australian airline Qantas, Alan Joyce, described it as “the last frontier” for international travel. The non-stop journey would take about 20 hours.

Joyce added that aircraft cabins “would be specially designed for maximum comfort in all classes.”

There would even be “wellness zones” for exercise on board the planes that will also fly from Sydney to New York, a distance of about 16,000 kilometres.

The ultra-long-haul services are expected to begin in late 2025. Tickets for the long-haul jets are likely to be more expensive than current flights that stopover in cities such as Dubai, Singapore, and Los Angeles.

Professor Greg Bamber from Monash University’s Business School said demand for the services is likely to be mixed because of the popularity of video conferencing technology, although other passengers will want to complete their trip as soon as possible.

“There is likely to be, on the one hand, increased demand for this kind of flight given that there are more concerns about infectious diseases, like COVID, about wars, as we have got in Ukraine at the moment. But on the other hand, there may be less demand because people have got used to using Zoom; businesspeople, for example, have been able to have meetings over Zoom for the last couple of years during the pandemic,” said Bamber.

Qantas has ordered 12 aircraft from the European manufacturer Airbus in a multi-billion dollar deal to service the new routes.

Experts say the announcement is a sign that global air travel is recovering from the pandemic faster than expected.

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TUESDAY, ͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

THE ALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

2023 Political Realities That Annoy And Heal

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s the party primaries draw near, it is sad to see many people still playing the same old sentimental politics which has left them perpetually on the back burner. Why do they do it? Is it that they are unteachable, or unreachable, or that they lack the ability to suppress their sentiments in favour of cold hard facts?

Political realities will always overcome political sentiments. That is a fact of life. So, in order to win, you do not cry over the realities, or argue about them.

You simply understand these natural principles and then harness them.

One political reality is that the ONLY Southern candidates with name recognition in Northern Nigeria, and especially the Northwest and Northeast, are Bola Tinubu and Yemi Osinbajo. Even Rotimi Amaechi does not have it. I know some people will not like to hear this, but the truth is bitter and better!

And amongst these Southern candidates, only Bola Tinubu stands a chance in the Northwest and Northeast, for almost the same reasons that Abiola stood a chance. Even Buhari, with his real or imaginary Northern-cult following, can’t persuade the core North to vote for a Christian pastor.

Another bitter, but better truth. Although people will like to hear butter lies.

Asking core Northerners to vote for Pastor Yemi Osinbajo, who, rightly or wrongly, is seen in the core North as a Christian fanatic, who carefully put members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in key positions, is like asking Southerners to vote Isa Pantami, who was caught on tape expressing his delight at the death of non-Muslims!

Any sensible aspirant should cultivate the Northwest and Northeast. You can win the Presidency without the votes of one particular region I will not name because of their ability to insult more than their ability to vote. But you can’t win without the Northwest and the Northeast.

Alas, with the comments of many Southern aspirants, you would think that they can win the election based on bravado alone. Even the British tried to win the heart of the North, though they were colonial masters. It is a reality we must face as long as Nigeria remains one country.

I have a lot of personal disdain for Bola Tinubu, who I believe lacks personal hygiene and morals. I also have reasons to believe that he is corrupt and grossly so. But despite my misgivings, he is acting more sensibly than other Southern aspirants in courting the North.

Osinbajo is just delusional. He thinks he can win the APC primaries by speaking English. Even Buhari does not command the delegate votes to make him win. Yes, he has name recognition. But his name recognition in the North is like beer. Northerners know it, but reject it!

From what I have seen so far, 2023 will be a race between Bola Tinubu and the best Northern candidate the Peoples Democratic Party can come up with.

Other than Bola Tinubu, the top three Northern PDP candidates have no match in the South. For now.

You doubt me? Okay, let me ask you this question. Who are Osinbajo’s coordinators in each of the nineteen Northern states? He either does not have such machinery in place, or where he has them, the coordinators are inconsequential people who are political lightweights that add no value to him.

Which Northern Governor is for him? With perhaps the exception of Nasir El-Rufai, the answer is zero.

Tinubu

Osinbajo

And if El-Rufai is for you, then you should consider that as a very big minus.

Contrast that with Tinubu. Whereas Osinbajo has no foot soldiers in the North, Tinubu has foot soldiers in every Northern state. Every time he is moving in the North, you can see top-level Northern power brokers with him, from Ganduje, to Ribadu, to Shettima.

I will not even bother about candidates from the Southeast. If you critique them because you want them to be better, their followers (who are invariably mostly from the Southeast as well), will troop to your public profiles to insult you, as if they alone can make their chosen candidate the President. I wish them luck in their chosen path to ‘victory’.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Bola Tinubu will win the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress. If his challenger in the Peoples Democratic Party comes from any zone other than the Northwest or Northeast, then Tinubu will be the President of Nigeria in 2023.

This much is obvious to people who have political vision. I do not know how anybody will actually allow their ethnicity to blind them to the point where they can believe that any Southern candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party can win an election in 2023.

That will just be like gifting the election to Tinubu.

I have the voter turnout numbers of every Local Government in Nigeria from 2019. So, I look at elections from a statistical and scientific point of view.

The Southeast of Nigeria has the highest Twitter and online turnout in the nation, but the lowest voter turnout during voter registration and election.

There are those who are being moved by ethnic sentiments and their disillusionment will come very soon. I do not need to belabour the point. But I will say this: Even in the Southeast, Bola Tinubu is very strong. Look at the former Eagles that went to endorse him. Where are they from?

Let us learn from the Northwest and Northeast.

This is Ramadan. How many of them have you seen travelling? Even during Sallah, they don’t travel.

But let it be voter registration or election, they will

travel. You travel for Christmas, but not for election, and you want to win election?

Refusing to work with political realities, and instead, promulgating political delusions and building castles in the air, will not get any region, or any part, or anyone, anywhere at any time. 2023 must be faced using cold hard facts. If Tinubu emerges in the All Progressives Congress, NOBODY among those who have declared so far in the South can defeat him for the Peoples Democratic Party.

In Luke 14:31 Christ asked if a king with 10,000 soldiers can defeat another with 20,000.

If the All Progressives Congress gives Bola Tinubu their ticket, the Peoples Democratic Party should be mindful of the fact that Kano alone delivered 2 million votes during the 2019 election, while the entire Southeast delivered 2.09 million. Do the maths and stop sniffing meth!

In every election since 2003, Buhari has always had a captive audience of 12 million Northerners, plus or minus, one million. Buhari’s political foot soldiers in the core North are united behind him.

What the opposition must do is to find a way to divide them. If the Peoples Democratic Party fields a Southerner in 2023, they will unite and obey Buhari’s command to vote for Tinubu. And he will win. The only way that those foot soldiers can be divided enough not to obey Buhari’s command is if the Peoples Democratic Party fields a Northerner!

Any scenario other than the Peoples Democratic Party fielding someone from the Northwest or Northeast is an own goal. I know this will infuriate a lot of people, especially from a particular geopolitical zone, but that is what truth does. It makes you mad as hell. But it makes you heal as well.

Southerners who think Buhari is no longer popular in the North are under the mistaken belief that Northerners care about the things they care about.

When terrorist kill Northerners, Northern masses do not see it as Buhari’s fault. They see such deaths as the will of God that could not be altered.

The number one factor militating against the political progress of a certain geopolitical zone is their inability

to work with people they do not like. Tell them an inconvenient truth and to a large extent, they will gather to insult, abuse and attack you. Then after they have finished alienating everybody, they will believe that everybody hates them.

Northerners understand Southerners more than Southerners understand Northerners. Northerners like themselves more than Southerners like themselves.

And more importantly, Northerners vote for region and religion. Southerners vote for region and competence.

Both politics and war are a game of life and death.

Once you understand that, everyone in your bloc will be motivated to win. Northerners understand this.

Southerners do not. We see politics as an idealistic endeavour. Northerners see politics as a realistic venture and act accordingly.

Individually, each state in the Northwest is politically powerful, especially the KKK axis. Kano, Katsina and Kaduna. But their individual strength is not why they influence elections. The power of the Northwest is their ability to vote as a bloc. Only the Southwest is that politically disciplined in the Nigerian Project.

In politics, it is better to use your intellect and foresight than rely on stubbornness in the face of facts. Political momentum is built in the grassroots, not on social media, and that momentum is growing quietly in the North.

The great Chinese military strategist said, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”

The Peoples Democratic Party should imbibe this wisdom. Look at the voting pattern from 2019 and be guided by that, not by sentiments.

No party zones from a position of weakness.

You only zone from a position of strength. As an opposition party, the preoccupation of the Peoples Democratic Party should be how to win. When they win, they can zone. But if they zone before they win, they will never win!

The Peoples Democratic Party must understand the military strategy that “the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.” The All Progressives Congress is likely to present a very flawed but politically astute candidate in Tinubu. Thus, the PDP must respond by presenting a candidate who has numbers, not one who has sentiments.

It takes energy to bend the bow, but it takes strategy to know how and when to release the arrow. The Peoples Democratic Party has energy on its side. Now, all they need is strategy. Because, in Bola Tinubu, they are facing an opponent who relies on strategy, not sentiments.

Reno’s Nuggets ASUU is on strike due to lack of funds NASU is on strike due to lack of funds ASUP is on strike due to lack of funds NUT is on strike due to lack of funds Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, whose salary for the seven years he has been minister is not up to ₦100 million, and who is prohibited by law from running a business while he is in government, and who should be focused on providing funds for these striking educational bodies, just bought a ₦100 million APC Presidential nomination form?

If only EFCC knew their job! #TableShaker

PDP Moves NEC to Monday over Zoning of Presidential Ticket Reinstates Kano’s exco, approves Onu as Ebonyi chair Okechukwu: Blame opposition party if APC goes north with presidency Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rescheduled its planned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting earlier slated for Wednesday to Monday next week.

In a statement titled Notice of 96th NEC Meeting of PDP, change of date, and signed by the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the party informed all members of NEC that the May 5 meeting, has been moved to May 10, but that the venue remained the same and the time 2pm.

Anyanwu said the earlier date clashed with the local government delegate election involving all members of the party, however, regretting all inconveniences.

The NEC meeting is crucial to the party as it is expected to discuss the report of the 37-man committee, which threw the presidential ticket of the party open to all

zones.

Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, has after an extensive deliberation and in obedience to the Order of Court, approved the reinstatement of the dissolved Executive Committee members of the party in Kano State.

According to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP said, "To this effect, the Alhaji Shehu Sagagi-led Kano State Executive as well as all Excutive members of our Party at all levels in Kano State are hereby reinstated.

"Also, in obedience to a similar Judgment of Court, the NWC has declared Barr. Silas Onu the Ebonyi State Chairman of our great Party."

In another development, a founding member of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has said Nigerians should hold the opposition PDP

responsible if the ruling party did not zone the presidency to the South again.

He said APC has been watching with studied interest, the desperation of PDP to prey on President Muhammadu Buhari’s 12 million Vote Bank, adding that as a political party, the APC has to fine-tune its strategies for the forthcoming general election.

Okechukwu, who is also the Director General (DG) of Voice of Nigeria (VON), reacted to the condemnation of APC’s indecision to zone the 2023 Presidency to the South by Middle Belt Forum, PANDEF, Afenifere and Ohanaeze.

He noted that although it was doubtful that any politician in PDP could sweep President Buhari’s 12 million votes away, PDP’s desperation to break into Buhari’s 12 million Vote Bank explained APC’s indecision.

Speaking during an interaction with

journalists in Abuja, Okechukwu stated that, “Although one is not holding the brief of our distinguished national Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, one’s little understanding is that the leadership of our great party, is watching closely the desperation and antics of our elder sister political party, the PDP. “They want to capture power by all means, indeed using Machiavellian tactics.

We all know that PDP is famished, thirsty and desperate to win the Presidency in 2023. They loathe the loss of their slogan ‘Share the Money’ through their absence from power at the center for seven going to eight years.”

Explaining further why PDP should be blamed, Okechukwu said it was unconscionable and despicable that the opposition party should breach the zoning convention, which helped in no small measure to unite and harmonise the country.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022

16

POLITICS

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

Finally, Igbos Speak with One Voice on Zoning 2023 Presidency to S’East Chuks Okocha writes that presidential aspirants from Igboland across political parties have come together to push for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction

Anyim

Obi

Umahi

Ngige

D

espite available facts and their efforts to prove otherwise, the Igbos of the South-east of Nigeria have failed to convince other Nigerians that they are united in the pursuit to better their lots. From all indications, they will have to live with that stigma for some time.

However, the Igbos seem determined to continue to pull off some great marks of solidarity to demonstrate that they can be united.

One of such efforts was the recent “Greater Nigeria Conference with the theme ‘Together We Can’ held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday April 25, 2022. It was an initiative of an Igbo Think Tank, Nzuko Umunna, which received total buy-in from all groups based in or linked to the Igbos.

The purpose of the conference was for leaders of the South-east and friends of the zone to come together and make the case for all political parties in Nigeria to zone their presidential tickets to aspirants from Igboland.

The build up to the gathering was greeted with the usual scepticism –will the Igbos make it successful as one the giant efforts to prove their attackers wrong or would they mess it up and confirm their disunity? All waited for the D-Day with apprehension. By 11.30 am of the fateful day, enthusiastic Igbos were being turned away from the Executive Lounge of the International Conference

Centre, venue of the event because the Hall was already overcrowded.

That was the first mark of commitment of Igbos to the meeting and by extension, a demonstration of unity and solidarity of purpose.

With the first line of apprehension resolved on the positive side for the South&easterners, the second apprehension was still there: what if the people came in their numbers and their leaders especially the presidential aspirants shunned the event?

Surprisingly, by kick-off time of the C/conference which was 12 noon, all the major presidential

aspirants had come and they came with their full human paraphernalia so much so that squabbles over space and seats became loud.

There was Anyim Pius Anyim, the first real presidential material from Igboland to announce his intention to run for the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Also in attendance was Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State who has declared his intention to contest next year’s presidency on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Owelle Rochas Okorocha, serving Senator of the Federal Republic of

One-by-one, they called on Nigeria, through the political parties to zone the presidency of the country in the forthcoming general election to the South-east zone to the applause of the people in the hall. What a demonstration of unity. Now that the best presidential candidates of Igbo extraction from the two major political parties in Nigeria spoke with one voice on the urgent need for Igbo presidency, Nigerians should know that the Igbos are coming and forcefully too

Nigeria and former two-term governor of Imo state. There was Dr Chris Ngige, Labour Minister and former Governor of Anambra State; there was Mr Peter Obi also of the Peoples Democratic Party and two-term Governor of Anambra state..

The roll call of the presidential aspirants present included: Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, Mrs Rose Nwosu, Mrs Offorkansi and Alhaji Yahaya Ndu. They were paraded by the organisers for Nigerians to see and when they spoke, they left the audience and the country in no doubt that Igbos have started speaking with one voice.

One-by-one, they called on Nigeria, through the political parties to zone the presidency of the country in the forthcoming general election to the South-east zone to the applause of the people in the hall. What a demonstration of unity. Now that the best presidential candidates of Igbo extraction from the two major political parties in Nigeria spoke with one voice on the urgent need for Igbo presidency, Nigerians should know that the Igbos are coming and forcefully too.

Beyond the issue of and their republicanism, was the matter of the moment, the issue of allowing the South-east to produce Nigeria’s president in 2023. On this, all the Igbo presidential aspirants spoke with one voice.

But the real issue was the tremendous support the Igbos have been receiving Continued on page 17

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022

POLITICS

Olawepo-Hashim Promises to Unite Nigeria Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim is confident that he can get the party’s ticket

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s the race towards the presidential primary of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) enters a crucial bend, one of the aspirants, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has maintained that he is in a better position ”to unite the presently badly divided country at a time like this” if he gets the party’s ticket to lead the country in 2023.

Olawepo-Hashim told chairmen of the party from the six states in the North-central geo-political zone and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT explained that “anyone who grew up in the North Central zone where about 86 ethnic groups live would have learnt one or two lessons in diversity and those lessons will come in handy to cement the nation’s diversity for greater strength.

According to him, “Charity begins at home. The North-central is where I have made home. And that is why my consultation is starting from here. You can see how difficult it is for us to pick the host chairman at this meeting. Is it my brother Haliru Jokantoro, Chairman of Niger from Bussa where I did my primary school and still have strong family ties or Prince Fagbemi, Chairman of Kwara, a State where I equally grew in, did my secondary school and built a huge political following or FCT chairman from Abuja, where I have lived since 1996 and currently vote from?”

The meeting had Haliru Jokantoro, Niger; John Mamman of Nasarawa; Prince Sunday Fagbemi, Kwara; Honourable R.D Bature, Plateau; Comrade Austin Ajade, Benue and Alhaji Abdulmalik Usman, FCT and some critical stakeholders, like Senator Makanjuola Ajadi from Kwara and Honourable Miko, the 1999 House of Representatives member representing Ogoni, Rivers State in attendance.

In his remark, Senator Ajadi harped on the sterling qualities of Mr. Olawepo-Hashim whom he said is a credible aspirant for the party’s position for the office of President, adding that “if the challenge is to fix the country’s problem, we have a man in this room who has the capacity to do the Job.”

Olawepo-Hashim

Honourable Miko on his own part noted that “this aspirant Gbenga is accomplished and untainted.”

The parley saw the aspirant explaining his mission and informing the gathering of his intention to formally declare for the race on Tuesday, May

3rd, 2022. The choice of the date, he explained, was informed by the need to allow “our Muslims brothers and sisters to conclude the observation of the holy month of Ramadan, which will end on April 30th.

At the meeting, Olawepo-Hashim

also noted that the country is presently “really divided along ethnic and religious lines” and re-emphasied his intention to run an inclusive government since “it is very difficult for any party to even produce a candidate right now that can win in more than four zones out of the six zones of the country because of the division in the country.”

He also informed the gathering that at his declaration, he will release to Nigerians his perspectives on important matters they want answers to: Security, Jobs, availability and affordability of Petroleum products, Stable electricity supply, how to tackle Corruption, Health, Education, Infrastructure, etc.

He maintained that the “solution to National Security, the Unemployment problem, High cost of Petroleum products and basic items requires new and fresh approach to handle, that those who have never paid for anything they consume in the past 23 years cannot understand.

Since his activist days more than three decades ago, Olawepo-Hashim has done many things in politics and in business. As one of the earlier political leaders after the military departed in 1999, he was Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Ruling party and Chairman of the party’s Group of 54 NEC members which he formed.

He resigned from the PDP in 2006 after a lot of disagreements over matters of Party internal democracy.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos; and a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from University of Buckingham in United Kingdom, where he was the best student in his cohort.

Olawepo-Hashim in his 50s, is strong on economic issues, national security and national integration which he has spoken widely on in the past four years.

He has core competences theoretically and practically apart from doing business across many international jurisdictions, he did core courses in International Finance, International Economics and Global Security.

Finally, Igbos Speak with One Voice on Zoning 2023 Presidency to S’East from non-Igbos. At the occasion, the leader of the Pan-Yoruba Socio-Cultural organization, Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo spoke loudly and eloquently on reasons why Igbos should produce the next president of Nigeria.

He has been consistent in his support for Igbo president in 2023 despite the fact that the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, a fellow Yoruba man is in the race. Ayo Adebanjo represents a true friend of the Igbo race and the greatest demonstration of what many Igbos and Yorubas have wished all along –a Yoruba – Igbo solidarity and cooperation. That has been in the mind of progressives from both divides for a long time and often called hand-shake-across-the-West.

That east-west solidarity has not been as strong as expected, otherwise it would have been an adequate counterforce to the “monolithic” north’s ‘menace’ when it comes to the politics of Nigeria.

Since Independence, there have been flashes of west-east cooperation that had died and allowed the long history of acrimony to continue to reign. Backstabing between Awo and Zik (Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe), between Awo and Biafra war time leader, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu; between NPP and UPN, etc and of recent; hostilities against Igbos in Lagos for voting for PDP in 2019 presidential election and the resultant threat to drown Igbos in Lagos in the Lagos Lagoon.

But there were the Col Babafemi Ogundipes, Adegoke Adelabus, the Adeniran Ogunsanyas who showed loyalty to Igbos in politics.

There were also, Chief S.G. Ikoku, Mrs Oyibo Odinanmadu and Chief Philip

Umeadi who were very close confidants of Awo and played their politics with Yorubas. Adebanjo has been extremely committed to the 2023 Igbo cause, just like writers Segun Adeniyi and Akin Osuntokun as well as activists like Deji Adeyanju, and a host of others. They equate perfectly the support and loyalty of Chief Joe Igbokwe and Ben Akabueze (both Igbos) who have held more strategic positions in/ for Lagos state than many Yorubas.

Pa Ayo Adebanjo at 95 years of age took the trouble to come all the way to Abuja to re-echo his support for Igbos. He roared like a lion.

Adebanjo has a grouse against politicians from the North who he accused of now propounding a lot of theories, when they realized it was the turn of the Igbo to produce the president.

Said he, “Now that it is the turn of the Igbo, they are propounding a new theory: it must be based on merit and all that. If it is the question of merit, if it has been based on merit till today, till the Kingdom comes, the Igbo alone will produce the president.

“Although, I don’t like all the people that came out from the east. But for the fact

that they are saying you have no people, I’m happy you demonstrated that.

“But go and unite. A house divided against itself will not stand,” the elder statesman admonished.

In like manner, both the Middle Belt and the South-South Zones also supported the Igbo agitation.

Dr Bitrus Pogu and Chief Edwin Clark who are the leaders of the Middle Belt Forum and the Pan Niger Delta Forum also said 2023 presidency should be zoned to the south east.

Said Pogu, himself a northerner: “For us, the debate should be a straight one between the South-south and the Southeast. But the South-south has occupied the seat of president for one term and the South-east has never occupied it at all.

The north that presently is occupying the number one position in Nigeria and the South-west that has been served should not entertain any thought of throwing their hats in the ring.

“After your own region has been served a consensus to stabilize the Nigerian polity and give its people a sense of belonging, it would amount to taking the food tray away in a banquet hall after dishing enough food to one’s plate.

Of course, others on the queue will be well within their right to chase and deal with such selfish people.

“It is only proper that we take this thing to the south and it is the turn of the South-east to produce the president.”

Pogu equally called for greater unity among the presidential aspirants and the Igbo nation so as to block those who do not like the south east from capitalizing on disunity to abort Igbo presidency in 2023.

To be fair to the Igbo presidential aspirants, they have done a lot to promote that needed unity.

Anyim Pius Anyim, the first Igbo presidential aspirant to declare his interest set the pace when he declared late last year in Enugu that more Igbos should join the race. Then he was the only one. Following that call, about 16 prominent Igbos have joined the race.

Anyim’s leadership role in the quest for Igbo presidency in 2023 remains indelible.

His entry into the race late 2021 ended the ridicule from uninformed Nigerians that Igbos have no credible candidate to present. He also led the much talked about solidarity of Igbo presidential aspirants when he initiated the meeting of four Igbo presidential aspirants on PDP platform namely: himself, Mr Peter Obi, Mazi Ohuabunwa and Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze where they met on 9th of April, 2022 and later told Nigerians that they agreed to work for the emergence of Igbo President in 2023 regardless of which of them is chosen.

Anyim who read the press conference said, “we have agreed to work together as a team to ensure that a south easterner emerges as PDP flag bearer.

“We intend to consult with other zones on this issue and it is based on fairness and equity.

“In doing so, it is important to note that we have always supported other zones and we now expect them to reciprocate”, the four aspirants stated.

Even the organisers of the GNC in their vote of thanks acknowledged the exceptional financial contributions made

by Anyim to the successful hosting of the conference.

TUESDAY, ͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

18

This Week In Tech 08097710984

nosakhare.alekhuogie@thisdaylive.com

Nosa

Alekhuogie

The Nigeria Startup Bill: My Two Cents WHAT STARTUPS SHOULD EXPECT WITH NSB he passing of the Nigeria Startup Bill (NBS) remains a necessary disruption for the Nigerian tech ecosystem as the futuristic demands for more techaccommodating innovations and startups is on a daily increase in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Having identified this market, the office of the president, in collaboration with major stakeholders in the Nigerian tech space, drafted the NBS to ensure visible, practical, and innovative national laws and regulations are available for the growth of the Nigerian tech ecosystem. The bill, received by the Nigerian senate in February 2022, focuses on maximally exploring the potential of our digital economy through co-created regulation.

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WHAT IS IN THE NSB? As detailed in the NSB’s report, the bill aims to create a legal and institutional framework for developing startups in Nigeria. This also includes providing enabling ecosystem for the establishment, investment, and operation of startups in Nigeria, fostering the development and growth of technology-related talent, and positioning Nigeria’s ecosystem as the leading digital technology hub in Africa.

In unlocking the Nigerian startup ecosystem, the bill makes provision for the creation of the Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Startup Support and Engagement Portal, the Startup Labelling, Startup Investment Seed Fund, Training Capacity Building and Development, Tax and Fiscal Incentives, Regulations Support, and a list of others.

In clear terms, these structures are motivated by addressing challenges faced by startups in accessing needed funds, nurturing eco-friendly initiatives, the shrinking interest of investors, governmental support, and the development of identified talents.

DEFINITION OF STARTUPS IN THE NSB According to the editors of Forbes Advisor, Benjamin Curry and Rebecca Baldridge, startups are market disrupters and world changers. Their aim is to inject what is needed but has not been created into society. They, therefore, achieve this by generating eye-popping valuations that lead to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and a return on investment.

But for NSB, a startup is labelled as a registered limited liability company between 0 and 10years of the incorporation date.

Such companies are to prioritise innovation, research, training, and commercialisation of digital products or services and must be a repository of such or author a registered software. They are also conditioned to have a 51 per cent shareholding capacity from Nigerians.

STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE NSB The National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship will serve as the corporate body guiding and tailoring the affairs of startups in Nigeria.

The council membership is drawn from both the government and major practitioners in the Nigeria tech ecosystem, finance, scientific research, budget and investments, national planning, and trade. The council will also play the role of the Nigerian startups’ national secretariat from where policy implementations, regulations, and planning will be carried out.

PROVISIONS OF THE NSB Eligible companies that align with the NSB categorisation will enjoy several benefits, including access to the Startup Support

and Engagement Portal, where tech companies are registered with ministries, departments, and agencies. This eradicates the duplication of governmental offices, and startup founders are open to a sea of efficient communication lines with the government, private institutions, and other major players in the industry. The Startup Support and Engagement Portal again has a consultation forum that mans the issuance of relevant incentives to labelled startups and provides target information, nominations, and deliberations to the council as affecting the existence of Nigerian tech startups.

The bill considers the need for funding these economic generators, and in response, the Startup Investment Seed Fund is provided for the Nigerian startups. These funds are for financial relief to startups, technology laboratories, accelerators, incubators, and hubs.

The training, capacity building, and development of talents within the ecosystem are core motivations for the bill. The goal is to bring young Nigerians into the tech space to reduce economic over-dependency in the long run. In achieving this, the bill is set to maximise the academia via an alliance with the National Universities Commission and Polytechnics in inculcating knowledge for running a startup. The six geopolitical digital technology acquisition centres also boost the promotion of techbased knowledge, management, and competency.

On tax and fiscal incentives, the NSB jealously captures four major actors: the labelled startups, investors in labelled startups, employees of labelled startups, and external service providers of labelled startups. For companies with 10 inexperienced employees with a graduation date no longer than three years, such employees will enjoy a five per cent of the accessible profit tax break. Startup investors also stand to gain a 30 per cent investment tax credit, and their capital gains tax will exclude disposal assets. A two-year 35 per cent income tax exemption is guaranteed for eligible employees. And for external service providers attached to labelled startups, a 5 per cent withholding tax on income generated.

NSB VERSUS REALITY Despite the NSB promise of securing startups in Nigeria, the government’s

chances of overriding these protections in terms of their typical abandonment of what is stipulated in the bills remain a threat to the startup space.

However, observable limitations to this bill pin on the incomprehensibility of the bill in favour of left out startups. The NSB provisions, as detailed above, leave out startups with declining potential because they are older than ten years.

This neglect may rob the Nigerian tech space of probable contributions these startups can contribute to the larger income ratio of Nigeria. It is also true that the council’s creation will minimise the duplication of stoic governmental agencies. But the nation, torn apart by incessant terrorist acts, kidnapping and corruption, threaten the council’s efficiency. This assertion is based on the fact that political inclinations or godfatherism can easily down the supremacy of the bill in the long run.

Startups will also enjoy ease in terms of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) transactions against the stress that comes with transacting with this agency.

Even though the NSB promises to fund the labelled startups, these funding is in no way comparable to the external funding registered startups in the diaspora amass. Many of these startups interest the angel investors because of the securities of policies and regulations provided by the startups’ registering countries. Typical examples are countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, India, China, Dubai, and South Africa, which have traceable policies and regulations protecting startups and investors.

The notion of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) is so strong that inventors are secured with expanding time on research and needed innovations.

This is not the story in Nigeria, and we must approach the system as one that needs education and awareness on the importance of IPR securities for tech gurus.

Despite the efforts channelled into training, capacity building, and development of the tech ecosystem in Nigeria, a subtle depletion of this idea matures when the ‘Nigerian version’ of the bill is addressed. The bill states that 51per cent of the shareholding power should be Nigerians, but what is obtainable in the Nigerian tech space is crowded with external bodies

ranking as top sponsors of tech initiatives in the country. In Lagos, for example, there are over 400 startups valued at over $2 billion, but the major players in growing this market are non-Nigerians who have spotted the need and are ready to invest highly in these gaps.

The “Yabacon Valley” project in Lagos is a critical example that, due to external sponsors’ influence, has attracted other accelerators, startups, and incubators like iDEA, Passion Incubator, Co-Creation, and others. Therefore, if the bill is passed, the Nigerian tech ecosystem should be prepared to experience a slope in the momentum these external sponsors are injecting into the system. This also calls for reviewing the bill to massively encourage Nigerian investors to plunge their money into the tech ecosystem.

Concerning the inclusion of the Nigerian academia in the training and creation of basal knowledge of tech for young Nigerians, the success ratio of this action is very low as Nigeria has one of the lowest shares of governmental expenditures on education. At seven per cent GDP, the country is bound to shrink the bill’s aim with incessant strike actions and issues associated with the Nigerian tertiary educational system. There is a huge gap between what the Nigerian educational system can offer compared to what the tech ecosystem needs to scale. The collaboration will remain futile until this is well spelt out in the bill.

On incentives, the bill seems to be on the right path as it targets inexperienced techies to acculturate themselves with the Nigerian tech space over time. But this fair preference should also extend in minimal ratio to the experienced tech bros who are the hitmakers for these startup structures. This has the power to fuel their aggressiveness in driving the marketplace for tech products and services and in turn, expand the unicorn capacity of the Nigerian tech industries the same way Nigerian Fintech and e-commerce giants are driving the evolution.

The NBS initiative is a step toward a greater good for the Nigeria Startup ecosystem. It tables the challenges faced by the majority of the Nigerian techies and further offers solutions to these identified challenges. Still, the negligible parts of the bill need to be attended to. That is, areas with limited clauses that can shrink the envisioned growth of the tech space in Nigeria in the long run.

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022 Tuesday May 3, 2022 Vol 27. No 9885 TR

See page 20

WAS UZAMERE REALLY TALKING ABOUT BALA MOHAMMED? EMMA AGU argues that Mohammed has high regards for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar See page 20

NOT A MATTER OF PRAYERS Heaven helps those who help themselves, writes COSMAS ODOEMENA See page 21 BRACING FOR THE LOOMING FOOD CRISIS GODSWILL AGUIYI canvasses fertilizer subsidy regime for farmers in this year’s farming season See page 21

EDITORIAL GROWING CITIES, ‘URBAN JUNGLES’

See page 22

& RE A S O

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

JUSTICE FOR THE STREET FIGHTER The Senate’s plan to investigate Justice Umar is in order, contends SONNIE EKWOWUSI

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Zoning as a policy is a protest against abuse of power, contends ERIC TENIOLA

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2 20

T H I S D AY

EMMA AGU argues that Mohammed has high regards for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

The Senate’s plan to investigate Justice Umar is in order, contends SONNIE EKWOWUSI

JUSTICE FOR THE STREET FIGHTER Last week the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Danladi Umar to appear before the Senate in a probe RQ WKH SHWLWLRQ WKDW KH ZDV FDXJKW ÀJKWLQJ in public. Justice Ekwo issued the aforesaid RUGHU ZKLOH GHOLYHULQJ MXGJPHQW LQ D VXLW ÀOHG

by Umar challenging the powers of the Senate WR LQYHVWLJDWH KLP IRU ÀJKWLQJ D VHFXULW\ JXDUG

in public.

In his suit against the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions and the Attorney-General of the Federation, the CCT chair had prayed the court that pursuant to sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria lacks the jurisdiction to investigate him. But while delivering his judgment last week, Justice Ekwo stated that Umar had no cogent reason to stop the Senate from carrying out its constitutional functions. The judge further said that Section 2 of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act exposed Umar to an investigation by the National Assembly. The judge held that DV D SXEOLF R΀FHU DGPLQLVWHULQJ D ODZ UHODWLQJ WR WKH FRQGXFW RI SXEOLF R΀FHUV 8PDU·V disgraceful conduct should be investigated by the Senate. The Judge also said that Umar had no reason to institute the suit to stop the Senate from probing a public petition seeking justice. Holding that Umar is not above the law of the land, the Judge further stated: “As such, it will be illogical for him (Umar) to seek to stop the Senate probe as doing so will give an impression that he is above the law”.

It is surprising that Umar was praying the court to stop the Senate from investigating him. You will recall that on March 29 2021, the CCT Chair Umar threw decency, dignity and decorum overboard and engaged a security guard in an open street brawl in broad daylight at the Banex Plaza, Wuse Abuja, to the astonishment of onlookers who could be heard admonishing Umar, “Go away, go away, Oga go inside your car, respect yourself. You are not the most powerful person here, they will beat you”. The video ZKLFK FDSWXUHG WKH ÀJKW PDGH WKH URXQGV DW WKDW WLPH 'XULQJ WKH DͿUD\ 8PDU JDYH WKH security guard an upper cut which landed in his face consequently sending the poor man sprawling on the ground. Seeing the man on the ground, a visibly-angry Umar was not done with him yet. Just as the man was regaining his composure and was about getting up, Umar further sprang to his feet in the fashion of a native wrestler, swiftly ran to

TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022

his car, brought out a weapon and stretched his hand to smash the security guard. But thanks to Umar’s two police escorts, driver and some good Samaritans who swiftly used their hands to block Umar. At the end of the ÀJKW WKH VHFXULW\ JXDUG ZDV UXVKHG WR WKH hospital for treatment. I don’t know whether Umar was also rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Following the unequivocal condemnation of Umar’s disgraceful conduct at that time by the general public, all have been expecting the National Judicial Council (NJC) to wield the ELJ VWLFN DQG ÀUH 8PDU RU DW OHDVW VXVSHQG KLP IURP R΀FH SHQGLQJ WKH DOOHJDWLRQ DJDLQVW him. But unfortunately that hasn’t happened.

Meanwhile Umar, in his arrogance, has not GHHPHG LW ÀW WR DSRORJL]H IRU KLV VFDQGDORXV conduct. Instead of apologizing to the Bar, the Bench and the public for his disgraceful behaviour, Umar proceeded to institute a suit at the Federal High Court. It is obvious that Umar believes that he is above the law of the land. He sees himself as an untouchable, a god who is superior to everybody. He can do whatever he likes. For example, during the trial of former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen, Umar announced in open court that he would not grant an ex-parte order. Strangely enough, the same Umar secretly went behind Onnoghen’s lawyers and concocted a black-market exparte order which President Buhari relied on in illegally removing Onnoghen as the CJN. Umar actually threatened journalists covering judicial proceedings in his court at that time that he would imprison them and that they would remain in incarceration until he (Umar) UHWLUHV IURP VHUYLFH $Q HWKQLF SURÀOHU Umar threatened to deal with those whom he contemptuously labelled “Biafra boys”.

6KRFNHG E\ WKH SURÀOLQJ D YLVLEO\ DQJU\ FR convener of Bring Back Our Girls movement Aisha Yesufu released a video in April 2021 demanding the immediate dismissal of Umar as CCT Chair. , FDQQRW DJUHH OHVV %\ ÀJKWLQJ LQ SXEOLF Umar has brought the Bar and Bench into public ridicule, public odium and opprobrium.

Consequently Umar should have been removed as Chair of the CCT. It is characters such as Danladi Umar that gives the judiciary a bad name. There have been insinuations RQ VRFLDO PHGLD WR WKH HͿHFW WKDW 8PDU PXVW have been provoked by the security guard or WKDW WKH VHFXULW\ JXDUG ZDV WKH ÀUVW DJJUHVVRU and assaulter of Umar. No matter the level of provocation or aggression, a Chairman of the &&7 FDQQRW GHVFHQG WR WKH OHYHO RI ÀJKWLQJ in public contrary to the Code of Conduct of -XGLFLDO R΀FHUV DQG WKH -XGLFLDO 2DWK ZKLFK he swore to uphold and in fact made other judges to uphold as well. As a lawyer, Umar should have known that aggrieved persons are enjoined by the Constitution to seek remedy in a law court. Therefore if Umar had felt that the security man had wronged him he could have set the law in motion against him instead of resorting to violence. Resort to violence is a recipe for anarchy. The rule of law in contrast to the rule of force ought to reign always.

The legal profession is a conservative profession that extols decency, public decorum, social comportment as the hallmark of excellence and success in the profession.

Ekwowusi writes from Lagos

WAS UZAMERE REALLY TALKING ABOUT BALA MOHAMMED? It is axiomatic that once you step into the boxing ring, you can run but hardly can you hide.

It is the same in politics. And Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State, is hardly oblivious of this fact. If anything, he has trained himself to throw and to absorb political punches, no matter whose ox is gored.

However, despite the hardly regulated environment of vulgar abuse that is the hallmark of our politics, one thing Bala Mohammed has retained, is the cardinal home training, of respect for elders whether in or out of politics. And certainly, to say that he has the highest regards for Nigeria’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku

WKH GD\ ZRXOG FRPH ZKHQ DQ RͿ WKH FXͿ statement by Bala Mohammed would be twisted out of context, the Wazirin had this to say of the Governor’s speech, on the occasion of his (Atiku’s) 75th birthday: “Today, I read with emotion your birthday greetings to me. I don’t normally like celebrating birthdays but here you are today, making me celebrate my birthday with a birthday cake and birthday bull.

“I never had it in my life like this. Your Excellency, words alone are not enough for me to describe how I feel today.”

Contrary to what Uzamere would want the public to believe, Governor Bala Mohammed has always accorded Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the respect the former vice president deserves, as an elder statesman and an icon of Nigeria’s democracy. To that extent, one is left to wonder why our distinguished senator would, with what could be misjudged as malicious intent, release the overkill, to discredit Senator Bala Mohammed.

One also wonders why Uzamere took all the pains to discredit the laudable role played by Governor Bala Mohammed as the proposer of the Doctrine of Necessity motion that paved the way for the Goodluck Jonathan presidency. Is it possible that Uzamere had all along felt shortchanged by Abubakar, the Wazirin Adamawa, with whom he the recognition accorded Bala Mohammed, has enjoyed very cordial relations, is to state the for the latter’s courageous role, defending obvious. both the Constitution and the Republic when That is why the allegation by Senator Ehigie KLV FRPSDWULRWV ZHUH VFDUHG VWLͿ WR GHIHQG Uzamere, that Bala Mohammed was hauling the Constitution? insults at Atiku Abubakar, is not only surprising Paradoxically, in his desperation to but indeed grossly unfortunate. Uzamere was at discredit the Governor, Uzamere reinforced his best as a researcher and pundit. So laboriously what the public had always known, that and aggressively did he go to great lengths to Bala Mohammed is a patriot and statesman disparage Bala Mohammed that one would ZKR ZDV SUHSDUHG WR VDFULÀFH KLV SROLWLFDO think that some irredeemable enmity had existed career, to save both the Constitution and the between our respected former vice president Republic in 2010. For Bala Mohammed, it and the governor. Besides, unless there is some was not just about Jonathan. Nor was it about hidden agenda, the extent of Uzamere’s umbrage Bala Mohammed who saw the opposition to against Bala Mohammed, a presidential aspirant Jonathan as discreditable brinksmanship that IURP WKH VDPH SDUW\ GHÀHV ORJLF UHDVRQ RU could only destroy the nation’s constitution decency. Pray, what if Bala Mohammed, in spite and unity. He was also announcing, very of Uzamere’s arrogance, emerges as the PDP early in his career, that his political philosophy standard bearer? Wouldn’t Uzamere have armed would be guided by inclusion, social justice, the party’s opponents with missiles to detonate equity and fairness, no matter the interest his party’s candidate? group in question. In retrospect, that a However, the great consolation is that, quite distinguished Senator of the Federal republic frankly, the totality of Uzamere’s statement would descend to the nadir of employing was a complete misrepresentation. First, while Bala Mohammed’s heroic act, to discredit %DOD 0RKDPPHG KDV FRQÀGHQWO\ SXUVXHG KLV him, is unfortunate and unacceptable. presidential ambition with disarming erudition, Assuming, without conceding, that Bala measured audacity and sagacity, not for once, Mohammed had indeed disparaged His during his several public appearances, has he Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (which he derided Atiku Abubakar, a statesman for whom did not and would not do), one is surprised he has the greatest respect and who he has always that Uzamere could use Bala Mohammed’s fondly referred to, as his “elder brother”. Even if ordeal, in the hands of the EFCC, to discredit he brusquely retorted by asking if Atiku is better, the former minister? Ironically, rather than that can hardly justify Uzamere’s vituperations being discredited by his serial investigations and arrogance. and cases against him, Bala Mohammed Last year, Bala Mohammed rolled out the red can pride himself as the guinea pig of the carpet in Bauchi, to mark Atiku’s 75th birthday. Goodluck Jonathan Administration. He That could not have been the action of someone has been severally investigated, subjected who disrespects the former vice president. In fact, to media trial and “conviction”, prosecuted in appreciation of that gesture, Atiku had tweeted: before several courts and yet, nothing “My visit to Bauchi today was memorable. I incriminating has been found on him. On commissioned the Atiku Abubakar Road named the contrary, he has won several cases and, after me and also inspected some projects of the perhaps to the chagrin of enemies who Gov Bala Mohammed-led administration… are now emerging, even recovered his “In addition, I paid a courtesy visit to the Emir property. of Bauchi, HRH, Dr. Rilwan Sulaiman Adamu, and attended a birthday reception on my behalf.

Thank you, Bauchi, for your hospitality”.

Agu As if Atiku Abubakar had a premonition that is Publisher/Ceo 3G Media Network Ltd

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022

GODSWILL AGUIYI canvasses fertilizer subsidy regime for farmers in this year’s farming season

Heaven helps those who help themselves, writes COSMAS ODOEMENA

NOT A MATTER OF PRAYERS It’s election time again and we have started receiving chain prayers for Nigeria to be passed around without breaking them. In UHOLJLRXV KRXVHV GLͿHUHQW SUD\HUV DUH EHLQJ said for Nigeria towards the election. In one of the orthodox churches, the prayer for a distressed Nigeria is said now more fervently.

Is it not a familiar ring? In other words, have we not gone through all this before? Where are we today?

It was Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah who captured our laughable strategy for building a prosperous nation when he said, “After independence, in order to build a great nation, each country went to work. But in Nigeria, after independence, our people went to pray and fast.

“So, while we were praying, Malaysia came here and took our palm seedlings and built a great factory of it.

“While we were praying, Singapore went into investment in technology.

“While we were praying, India went into ICT. “While we were praying, China went to massive industrialization.

“While we were shouting Allah Alakuba! (sic) UAE went into massive infrastructural development.

“While we were binding and casting Lucifer, Japan went into technological development.

“While we were speaking in tongues, Denmark went into education of her citizens.

“While we were mounting big speakers in our places of worship, USA was mounting man on the moon.

“After our prayers, God, being a wise God decided to reward us according to our labour.” Today we know where those countries are in their ventures and we know where Nigeria is with our prayers.

Instead of propagating a message that enlightens people about democracy and elections and our roles in it we are back to spreading prayers. And if you ask some of those composing the chain prayers if they have voter’s card they will be speechless.

They are not ready to be part of the electoral process. But they believe their prayers can LQÁXHQFH WKH IHZ ZKR DUH Even the clergyman who has been rallying worshippers for prayers for Nigeria’s election does not have his own voter’s card either.

Neither do many of his followers. Even among those who have many are not ready to go to polling booths to vote. To them having a voter’s card is just one of those processes the government has made them do. One said, “Ha, you know tomorrow they might use voter’s cards as a requirement for our children to be enrolled in government schools.” $QRWKHU VHHV LW DV D PHDQV RI LGHQWLÀFDWLRQ Some have already given up entirely and nothing can change their mind. To them, their votes won’t count. The election winner has already been predetermined. Another reason for others is that ballot boxes may be snatched. So theirs is to stay at home and use prayers to “counteract” it. But we are only deceiving ourselves.

Don’t get me wrong. Prayers do work. But heaven helps those who help themselves.

Someone said as powerful as God is, he cannot multiply zero. This means we have to bring something forward for him to multiply.

That was why when Jesus asked his disciples DERXW KRZ WR IHHG WKH ÀYH WKRXVDQG SHRSOH the disciples didn’t tell him that they should RͿHU RQO\ SUD\HUV WR IHHG WKHP +H DVNHG them to bring what they had. And they

EURXJKW ÀYH ORDYHV RI EUHDG DQG WZR ÀVK These were then multiplied.

There is no magic to a virile democracy than for us to bring something—and ourselves forward. We can also come out to be elected.

In other words, we must take ownership of it.

We must play an active part in it and hold our leaders accountable. Our destiny and that of our children are in our hands.

In many developed countries, they don’t even believe in religion. Some are atheists yet they are continually developing and seeing to the betterment of their country. It’s what those who probably don’t believe in God produce that those who say they believe in God depend on. Does it then mean there is no God or that he does not answer our prayers? Far from that. It was Jesus himself who said that the children of this world are smarter than the children of the kingdom. This means that our À[DWLRQ RQ KDYLQJ $EUDKDP DV RXU IDWKHU KDV made us laid-back. It is part of what has kept us from using our God-given talent. That is why someone who has not written even a CV or sent one job application out goes to a prayer vigil in the hope that God will give them a job.

That’s why a student who should sit down to study will do prayer and fasting in the belief that that is the way to pass their exam. Some even come fasting in the exam hall. And when

Will prayers build infrastructure? Will prayers make food affordable? Will the growing number of outof-school children reduce when we spend all our nights in night vigils?

Fiddlesticks! Who will wake us up to reality? they faint from low blood sugar, they accuse their “village people” of being responsible.

God does answer prayers. And he has long answered Nigeria’s. That is why the country still exists today! But he does not need to be bothered when he has given us all we need as humans to succeed. He has given us a brain to think wisely and to vote wisely. But instead of using our brain some of us use our stomach. That’s why some of us can be easily bought over by one cup of garri and end up mortgaging our future, that of our children and that of our unborn children.

Can God be blamed if we decide to be stupid in a matter as serious as that of those who will lead us? Anyone who shows apathy to Nigeria’s election does not mean well for the country. Anyone who does not take action and decides to pray away their time is only foolish.

Is reciting prayers the answer to our inability to have a stable power supply? Is prayer a strategy to tackle our insecurity challenges?

Will prayers build infrastructure? Will prayers PDNH IRRG DͿRUGDEOH" :LOO WKH JURZLQJ number of out-of-school children reduce when we spend all our nights in night vigils?

Fiddlesticks! Who will wake us up to reality?

Dr Odoemena is medical practitioner in Lagos

BRACING FOR THE LOOMING FOOD CRISIS Nigerians may have to brace up for an inevitable food crisis in the next few months if nothing strategic is done to absorb the impact of the current high food prices and most importantly, the high cost of fertilizer.

The cost of fertilizer today has skyrocketed indicating that farmers will be spending more on the purchase of inputs in the 2022 farming season. Currently, a bag of NPK fertilizer costs over ଂ20,000 in the retail market and the same goes for Urea. These are the two major fertilizer products being used by farmers, particularly for the cultivation of cereals like rice, and maize. For instance, one hectare of rice farm requires four bags of NPK and two bags of Urea fertilizer. The total average cost of the fertilizer needed for a

ÀQLVKHG SURGXFWV WR EH GHOLYHUHG WR 1LJHULD·V farmers at a starting price of about ଂ5,500 per bag, compared to the ଂ8,000 - ଂ9,000 cost of imported fertilizer as of 2018-19. Also, before the implementation of the PFI, only 10 percent RI WKH SURGXFWLRQ FDSDFLWLHV RI WKH ÀYH EOHQGLQJ plants in operation across the country were being utilized. However, during the PFI, many blending plants across the country were revived and new ones were born. Although farmers did not get the fertilizer at exactly ଂ5,500, the cost of the PFI fertilizer was relatively lower in the open market. A few years down the line, the cost of fertilizer almost tripled as it appears that the federal government has abandoned the PFI. Information gathered suggests that the

hectare of rice farm is ଂ120,000. This is aside from other costs like agrochemicals, labour, and other input. This development can further worsen the lingering food crisis, as the farmers are becoming DJLWDWHG DERXW WKH DFFHVVLELOLW\ DQG DͿRUGDELOLW\ of fertilizer.

Nigeria’s fertilizer use today is just about 19kg per hectare which is already far lower than the global average of over 100 kg per hectare.

Consequently, per hectare productivity is also low when compared with other countries even in Africa. As noted by many stakeholders, due to human activities such as over-cultivation of a particular piece of land and the consequences of climate change, soils are no longer as fertile as they used to be. Therefore mineral fertilizers are used to supplement the soil’s nutrient stocks with minerals that can be quickly absorbed and used by crops. In many places, without the addition

federal government is no longer implementing the PFI as it used to be where the blending plants blend for the government, but has liberalized the process such that the government through the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) imports phosphates and its derivatives from Morocco for interested blending plants.

So, given the rate of depreciation of the Naira against the Dollar, the earlier subsidized cost LV QR ORQJHU WUDQVODWLQJ DV D VLJQLÀFDQWO\ reduced cost in Naira. Secondly, Muriate of Potash (MOP) which is a major raw material for blending NPK fertilizer sourced from Europe (majorly Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus) is now scarce, because of the war in the region and sanctions on Russia. So the looming food crisis may take a global dimension. Food crisis occurs when rates of hunger and malnutrition rise sharply at local, national, or global levels.

As it stands, experts have predicted low yield and poor harvest for the 2022 farming season, and the implication of that is a looming food crisis. A recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development –(FMARD) and other stakeholders stated that about 19.4 million people will face food insecurity across Nigeria between June and August 2022.

The government and other stakeholders must act fast to ensure that Nigeria does not further slide into a worse food crisis. In the short run, the federal government needs to revisit the PFI and quickly intervene in the importation of raw materials for the fertilizer blending plants. Going forward, there is the need to consider a fertilizer subsidy regime for farmers for the 2022 farming season. Thirdly, the federal government may have to consider strengthening the capacity of blending plants through the creation of a dedicated fund that fertilizer producers’ can access at a low-interest rate for the production of fertilizer. Finally, other options for the importation of the needed raw material must be explored as a way to absorb the current scarcity of basic raw materials.

Experts have predicted low yield and poor harvest for the 2022 farming season, and the implication of that is a looming food crisis RI IHUWLOL]HUV FURS \LHOGV ZRXOG EH VLJQLÀFDQWO\ reduced. Given the importance of fertilizer to Nigeria’s agricultural productivity, the federal government had created many initiatives to ensure the availability of fertilizer to farmers.

One of the several initiatives was the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), an agreement signed in 2016 between President Muhammadu Buhari and the King of Morocco to support the blending of NPK fertilizer. The core of the PFI was for a state-owned Moroccan company and a world leader in phosphate and its derivatives to supply discounted phosphate to Nigeria, to help support the domestic blending of NPK Fertiliser. In reality, the PFI supported an input subsidy regime that allowed the

godswill.aguiyi@gamil.com

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TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

GROWING CITIES, ‘URBAN JUNGLES’ The World Bank report is another wake-up call

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disturbing report released last week included more Nigerian cities among the ‘20 Ranked Fastest Growing Cities Worldwide’. Seventeen of these 20 fastest growing cities are in Africa and Nigeria has four of them, three each in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and two in Mozambique. Apart from Lagos that has for years been undergoing a frightening growth trajectory, the latest additions of fast-growing cities in Nigeria are Gwagwalada, Lokoja, and Potiskum. These new statistics put Gwagwalada’s annual growth rate (20202025) at 6.46%. Lokoja is put at 5.53%, and Potiskum, 5.65%.

According to the World Bank, some 55% of the world’s population (about 4.2 billion inhabitants) presently live in cities and this trend is expected to continue. By 2050, with the urban population more than doubling its current size, nearly seven of 10 people in the world will live in cities. But our main concern is about Nigeria. Lagos, once described as an ‘urban jungle’ by President Olusegun Obasanjo, is the largest urban area in the country, and the second largest in Africa. By 2035, the city will be home to about 25 million inhabitants, according to the World Population Review. Lagos currently hosts one of the biggest ports in $IULFD DQG LV D PDMRU ÀQDQFLDO FHQWUH RQ WKH FRQWLQHQW The city is also an African hub for information and communications technology, and one of the most culturally rich locations on the continent.

However, the speed and scale of urbanisation brings challenges, including meeting accelerated demand for DͿRUGDEOH KRXVLQJ ZHOO FRQQHFWHG WUDQVSRUW V\VWHPV and other infrastructure. Other problems include basic services, as well as jobs, particularly for the nearly one billion urban poor who live in informal settlements.

So, these cities will require well-coordinated long-term plans that must be implemented.

It is interesting to note that Lagos and Ogun States are in talks to coordinate their development through an

integrated regional plan that will address transportation, housing, environmental pollution, particularly waste management. Lagos does not have enough land to contain the waste generated within the boundaries of the state. The state also has an uncoordinated housing system, particularly on the Lekki corridor where there are many housing estates built as silos, providing their own infrastructure, water, roads, electricity but ringed with slum communities. In most of these communities, access roads do not exist because the government’s masterplan is yet to be implemented to capture these XVXDOO\ IDU ÁXQJ DUHDV RI WKH FLW\ In Abuja, the unplanned situation of Gwagwalada is curious because it ought to be covered by the Federal Capital Territory’s master plan. Unfortunately, this fast-growing city is being treated like another rural area or a suburb of Abuja.

Yet, these communities could turn into a hub for crime and environmental degradation in the FCT. Meanwhile, the Kogi State government must wake up to the environmental challenge in Lokoja by preparing an implementable master plan that will cover neighbouring urban areas.

Potiskum in Yobe State is strategically located as a centre of commerce, learning, spiritual and cultural revival. People from neighbouring Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi and Gombe States, and numerous others from Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and Central African Republic have stakes in the arguably biggest cattle market in sub-Saharan Africa, which is situated in Potiskum. This is the reason why a long-term plan to govern this fast-growing city should be developed now.

The authorities in Yobe State must evolve a master plan to ensure even development of Potiskum as more people that are pushed by the unabated insurgency and search for better economic opportunities and commerce to take up available land and cause uncontrollable expansion.

Overall, the World Bank report should be another wake-up call for the authorities in Nigeria on the coming population challenges.

In Abuja, the unplanned situation of Gwagwalada is curious because it ought to be covered by the Federal Capital Territory’s master plan

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

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LETTERS NIGERIA AND THE MALARIA CHALLENGE 'HFLGHGO\ GHDWK LV WKH ÀQDO GLFH LQ WKH DͿDLUV RI PHQ WKH XOWLPDWH DFH XS the sleeves of the Grim Reaper played at the most opportune or opportunistic moment when the decision is made often without the consent of the owner.

In Africa, how many times does death come only when the tape of life exSHFWDQF\ KDV EHHQ EUHDVWHG" +RZ PDQ\ WLPHV GRHV WKH ÀQDOLW\ RI GHDWK IRLVW LWVHOI RQ OLIH EHIRUH WKDW WDSH LV EUHDVWHG" $QG ÀQDOO\ ZKDW LV WKH OLIH H[SHFWDQF\ of an average African? For those born in 2021, the average life expectancy at birth across Africa was 63 years for males and 66 years for females. While the average life expectancy globally was 71 years for males and 75 years for females in mid-2021.

For many in Africa, wedged between the rock of broken healthcare systems and the hard place of poverty, death is only a doorstep as even the most preventable of illnesses can cause one to sign the eternal checkout. Malaria is DPRQJ WKH NLOOHU GLVHDVHV ZKLFK ÀQG SHUYHUVH SOHDVXUH LQ FXWWLQJ VKRUW WKH OLYHV of children. The statistics are indeed harrowing.

In a recent message to commemorate the World Malaria Day on April 25, 2022, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said that Africa reported more than 600,000 deaths from malaria in 2021. $FFRUGLQJ WR 0RHWL LQ VSLWH RI VLJQLÀFDQW EUHDNWKURXJKV LQ PDODULD SUHYHQWLRQ DQG FRQWURO LQFOXGLQJ WKH UHFRPPHQGDWLRQ RI WKH XVH RI ÀUVW YDLQ DJDLQVW PDODULD LW UHPDLQHG D VLJQLÀFDQW SXEOLF KHDOWK DQG GHYHORSPHQW FKDOOHQJH

Moeti stated that in 2021 about 95% of the estimated 228 million cases occurred in WHO/AFRO Region along with 602,020 reported deaths. She added that six African countries, the worst impacted by Malaria in the Region, are reported to have accounted for up to 55% of cases globally and 50% of deaths.

African countries like Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique accounted for over half of all malaria deaths.

What is 602,020 reported deaths out of a population of over 1.3 billion peoSOH" VRPH PD\ DVN %XW WKHVH DUH MXVW WKH ÀJXUHV IRU PDODULD ,Q D FRQWLQHQW ZKHUH D FRQÁXHQFH RI IDFWRUV KDV PDGH OLIH QRWRULRXVO\ FKHDS ZKDW DUH WKH ÀJXUHV RI FDVXDOWLHV DULVLQJ IURP RWKHU FDXVHV" Malaria devastates households and communities and these communities QHHG WR EH HPSRZHUHG WR SOD\ DQ DFWLYH UROH LQ WKH ÀJKW DJDLQVW WKH GLVHDVH In Nigeria for example, a National Malaria Elimination Programme report established that about 10 persons die of malaria every hour with a total of about 90,000 malaria-related deaths recorded in the country every year. :KDW QHHGV WR EH GRQH WR FXW GRZQ WKH ÀJXUHV HVSHFLDOO\ DV PDQ\ PDODUia-related deaths occur in children? Households and communities must be emSRZHUHG DQG VXSSRUWHG WR ÀJKW PDODULD Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.com

KARMA WILL WIN The Tennis courts have helped Boris Becker make a fortune, most of which he lost but now that he is basically penniless the Legal courts have given him some extra help by providing him with free accommodation for a while.

The lesson to be remembered is that Karma will balance out the world for all of us even if it takes a while.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

LAWYER TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

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Chrisland Sex Scandal: Abdication of Duty by Parents and Schools

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TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

IN THIS EDITION

Raising the Issue of Irregularity in Service of Originating Processes on Appeal Page IV

NBA, MacArthur Foundation Collaborate with Police on New ACJA

QUOTABLES

Page V

‘That Prisoners swap the kidnappers are requesting, must be met….I blame Richard Nixon for all of this. It was an off-the-cuff comment that he made in 1973, “we don’t negotiate with terrorists”….It has now become some kind of political mantra all over the world, and it’s complete hypocrisy…..’ - Tundun Abiola, Lawyer, Anchor, The Morning Show, Arise TV ‘I think Section 84(12) is rather draconian.

If someone is holding a political office or a political appointee, and he wants to participate in the primaries or even the elections, all I think should be done is to ask him to apply for a leave of absence, so he doesn’t use the machinery of office to manipulate the electoral process.’ - Femi Falana, SAN, Human Rights Lawyer & Activist

LAWYER

Edo State High Court Restrains Edo GIS from Demanding and Collecting Land Use Charge Page V

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

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

2023 and Jonathan: Between Legality and Regional Interest Introduction ast Thursday, I watched an interesting episode of Channels TV’s Politics Today which featured learned Senior Advocate, Femi Falana. Two topics of discussion that drew my attention, were the issue of former President Goodluck Jonathan vying for office of the President of Nigeria in 2023, and the ongoing debate on the nullification Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022. I will only make a brief comment on the nullification, since I already discussed it a few weeks ago.

The Learned Senior Advocate mentioned that the Court of Appeal had stayed the declaratory judgement of Anyadike J. nullifying Section 84(12).

The Court of Appeal had ordered the AGF, not to execute the judgement. But, it is trite law that a declaratory judgement cannot be stayed. The declaration itself is the relief, and in this case, the declaration was self-executory and requires no further execution by anyone. See the Supreme Court cases of Gongola State v Tukur 1989 4 N.W.L.R. Part 117 Page 592 per Oputa JSC; Okoya v Santilli 1990 2 N.W.L.R. Part 131 Page 172 per Nnamani & Agbaje JJSC.

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The More You Look, the Less You See! In Nigerian politics of today, "the more you look, the less you see!". Before I address the constitutionality or otherwise of whether or not former President Goodluck Jonathan can run for the office of President in another election, particularly the upcoming 2023 election having finished late President Yar’Adua’s term and completed an additional single term, permit me to state the same fact again at the risk of sounding like 'Cacofonix', and repeat for the umpteenth time that the primary purpose of the successive governments of the Fourth Republic, is to serve and promote the private, selfish interests of politicians, especially those in office, and not to promote the security and welfare of Nigerians (Section 14 (2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution)). Their purpose is not particularly for our good or benefit nor is it for the progress of the country, unless they happen to coincide.

President Jonathan, the Beautiful Bride If not, the issue of President Jonathan running for office again would not even arise. Was he not the same person who was vilified by many for allegedly running one of the most corrupt governments in the history of Nigeria, which is said to have plundered and looted Nigeria's treasury? In the seven years of President Buhari's APC administration, this message has also been repeated like a broken record, especially as being one of the main excuses for its own failures.

So, what has happened or changed all of a sudden, to make President Jonathan, hitherto berated, a ‘beautiful bride’, so much so that some are clamouring for his return as President come 2023? Really? Is Nigeria suffering from such a paucity of credible, capable people, that we must continue to recycle many of those who are responsible for plunging us into this dark abyss of pain, suffering and failure? To make the clamour for him more ridiculous, it is not coming from President Jonathan's own political party, PDP, who do not even seem to be considering him as a possible flag bearer, but from the direction of the opposition APC that has had nothing good to say about him for the past seven years. Is it because, as is being speculated with all the North/South zoning saga, that if he runs for President and wins, President Jonathan will only be able to do one more four year term, and the baton will happily return to the Northern zones in 2027?! If you have other plausible reasons for why some members of the APC are asking President Jonathan to run in 2023, my dear readers, kindly, share them. I am curious to know why.

I know we can safely conclude that, the reason is not because of the superb governance skills displayed by him and his government during their tenure in office!

Analysis But, be that as it may, the law is the law. Section 137 of the Constitution provides for the disqualifications that make an individual ineligible for election to the office of President, the most obvious being if such a person has been elected as President at any two previous elections (Section 137(1) (b)). In my opinion, the meaning of this is clear enough; that if I run and I’m elected as President in 2003 & 2007 or 2003 & 2011, then I cannot run again. However, where I differ from Learned Silk, Mr Falana, is where he imputed the period of eight years into this provision. Yes, we know that each tenure is four years (Section 135(2) of the Constitution) and so two complete tenures would

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive.com onikepob@yahoo.com Twitter: @TheAdvocate

The

Advocate “Constitutionally speaking, there is no bar to President Jonathan running for election as President once again; it still remains his right. Whether he should run though, is another matter entirely” be a total of eight years, but Section 137(1)(b) limits itself to the number of elections that a candidate is elected as President, without any mention of a period of time.

Section 137(3) of the Constitution which is an amendment inserted by the Fourth Alteration of Section 137 No. 16 of 2017, disqualifies from being elected as President for more than a single term: “A person who was sworn in as President to complete the term for which another person was elected as President….”.

Again, we see the imperfection of the Constitution. Before I go into the issue of whether the said provision can be retrospective as argued by the Learned Silk based on several authorities which he cited, my first submission is that, in the case of President Jonathan the provisions of Section 137 (1) (b) & (3) of the Constitution are somewhat contradictory. Jonathan was elected as President only once; so by virtue of Section 137(1)(b) he is not disqualified from running for the office of President. But, he was sworn in and finished the term of late President Umaru Yar’Adua who unfortunately passed away in May 2010 (or so Nigerians were told), and then ran for the office of the President in 2011 and won. An individual in President Jonathan’s shoes after the Section 137(3) amendment was enacted, would definitely be ineligible to run for the office of the President for a second term. However, my second submission is that completing President Yar’Adua’s term, cannot be said to be Jonathan being elected as President. He was elected with President Yar’Adua, as his running mate/Vice President.

The Section 137(3) amendment is dated

2017, seven years after President Jonathan completed his predecessor’s term and two years after he completed the only tenure that he was elected as President. How can we then apply this provision to him? Section 2(2) of the Interpretation Act 2004 (IA) provides that, where there isn’t any provision as to the time a particular enactment is to come into force, it will take effect either when the enactment was made or on the day it is passed. But, this is not the case with Section 137(3), which states that it came into force on June 7, 2018; it was not in existence between 2010 and 2015.

Section 146(1) of the Constitution provides that the Vice President ‘shall’ hold the office of the President if inter alia, the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death.

In Ugwu v Ararume 2007 12 N.W.L.R. Part 1048 Page 367 at 441-442 per Niki Tobi JSC, the Supreme Court held that when the word “shall” is imputed into a statutory provision, it imports that a thing must be done, and when the negative phrase “shall not” is used, it implies that something must not be done. It is a form of command or mandate. So, when some high ranking Northern members of the PDP agitated that since it was still the turn of the North to hold the office of President, a Northerner should replace Yar’Adua, many legal experts saw it as constitutional blasphemy, and denounced such a suggestion as heresy in view of Section 146(1).

But, the question is, had this new amendment of Section 137(3) been in place in 2010, would Jonathan have taken up Yar’Adua’s mantle, knowing that he would want to

Former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR

complete two terms as President, and finishing his predecessor’s term would limit him to a single term? Most people, even those who initially stated that they would do one term in office, decided to have a second and even wanted a third term, or everlasting term like late Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe! Well, apart from the one and only, Nelson Mandela of blessed memory.

Jonathan may have chosen the option to resign instead of completing Yar’Adua’s term if he was aware of this limitation, because we see that prior to 2017, he ran in the elections in 2011 & 2015 meaning that he did want to do two terms. And, if he had chosen to resign instead, there wouldn’t have been a vacuum, because in a situation where the position of President and Vice are vacant, Section 146(2) of the Constitution empowers the President of the Senate to hold the office of President for a period not exceeding three months, during which there will be an election of a new President who shall hold office for the unexpired term of office of the last holder of the office. This further buttresses the point that the term actually belongs to the original owner, whose office became vacant by reason of death, and not the substitute who completes it.

For a Constitution that states in its preamble that it is based on principles of equity and justice, my third submission is that, to seek to interpret this provision to mean that it has a retrospective effect thereby preventing President Jonathan from running for a second term, would not only be unjust, but be imputing the wrong meaning into the provision as far as Jonathan is concerned. The only rule of interpretation required here, is the literal rule, as Section 137(3), its commencement date and meaning are crystal clear.

As for the authorities which Learned Silk, Femi Falana based his position that President Jonathan is ineligible to run again, the facts of the cases are not on all fours with this situation. He cited Obayemi Toyin v Arogundade Samuel Musa & 3 Ors (judgement delivered by the Supreme Court on 18/1/19) and its sister case, Obayemi Toyin v PDP & Ors SC.308/2018 LOR (18/1/19) SC. But, in the judgement delivered in the latter case, the Supreme Court relied on its earlier decision in Adesanoye v Adewole 2006 14 N.W.L.R. Part 1000 Page 253 where it held that Section 4 of the Constitution empowers the National Assembly (NASS) to make laws with retrospective effect and that such laws are generally not unconstitutional, but it should be stated in clear terms that the law is retrospective. The said Section 137(3) of the Constitution does not state that it is retrospective; and according to the Supreme Court, it is only when it is stated in clear terms that the statute has a retrospective effect, that courts can respect and give effect to such legislative intent. Such intent is absent from Section 137(3).

However, even earlier, in Afolabi v Governor, Oyo State 1985 2 N.W.L.R. Part 9 Page 734 the Apex Court held that no statute shall be construed to have retrospective operation, unless such operation appears very clearly in the provisions of the statute; that retrospective laws are prima facie questionable policy, and contrary to the general principle that legislation shall not have retrospective effect; that courts lean against interpreting a statute to deprive a party of an accrued right. I further submit that giving Section 137(3) of the Constitution a retrospective effect, would deprive President Jonathan of his accrued right.

In Olaniyi v Aroyehun 1991 5 N.W.L.R. Part 194 Page 652 the Supreme Court held that a construction like other statutes operates prospectively and not retrospectively, unless expressly provided to be otherwise. My final submission is that Section 137(3) of the Constitution does not provide otherwise, and must therefore operate prospectively. It can only affect those who complete another’s term, after June 7, 2018.

Conclusion Constitutionally speaking, there is no bar to President Jonathan running for election as President once again; it still remains his right. Whether he should run though, is another matter entirely. It seems as if Section 137(3) may discourage any Vice President who is nursing a presidential ambition from assuming the President’s office should it become vacant, unless of course it becomes vacant two or three years before the expiration of the tenure; so that, if such person has the option of only one more term, he/she will still end up doing a total of at least six or seven years, just marginally less than the constitutionally provided maximum of two complete tenures.

IV

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

Raising the Issue of Irregularity in Service of Originating Processes on Appeal Fact

T

he Akwa Ibom State Government had awarded to the Appellant, a contract for the construction of Uyo Master Plan Drainage System. The Respondents were sub-contracted to undertake environmental impact assessment, by the Appellant. The Respondents alleged that despite the fact that the projects had been duly completed and the said contract sum released to the Appellant for payment to the Respondents, the Appellant still failed to remit the contract sum of N230,000,000 to the Respondents.

Further to the above, the Respondents commenced a suit against the Appellant under the Undefended List Procedure at the High Court of Akwa Ibom State, sitting at Uyo. The Appellant was represented at the proceeding, though the originating processes were served on it by substituted means. The Appellant, through its counsel, entered a conditional appearance to contest the suit, and subsequently filed its Notice of Intention to Defend the suit. The Appellant’s counsel provided a personal address for service in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and an address for service within the jurisdiction of court.

The trial court considered the claims and defence in the affidavit in support of the Notice of Intention to Defend the suit, filed by the Appellant. In its decision, the court found the Appellant liable to the claims of the Respondents. The Appellant, who felt aggrieved by the decision of the trial court, filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal, which court upheld the decision of the trial court.

The Appellant then appealed to the Supreme Court.

At the Supreme Court, the Appellant raised for the first time, the issue of non-compliance by the Respondents with Sections 97 and 98 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, on service of the originating processes on the Appellant outside the jurisdiction of court. It therefore, challenged the jurisdiction of the trial court to assume jurisdiction to determine the suit.

Issues for Determination The following two issues were considered and determined by the court: 1. “Whether the Court of Appeal was in error in affirming the Ruling of the trial court, irrespective of the fact that the 2nd Respondent (2nd Plaintiff) did not show sufficient interest in the subject-matter leading to the appeal to afford him locus standi to prosecute the suit.

2. Whether the Court of Appeal was in error when it assumed jurisdiction to hear and determine the appeal when ex-facie, the originating process did not comply with the mandatory provisions of Section 97 and 98 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act. Arguments Submitting on issue one, counsel for the Appellant contended that there is no where in the supporting affidavit as well as the exhibits attached, where the 2nd Respondent disclosed any interest which is personal to him. Counsel argued that the 1st Respondent is shown on the Writ of Summons to be a limited liability corporate entity, and so is clothed with juristic personality capable of suing and being sued in its name. Counsel submitted further that the 2nd Respondent, having confessed himself as a Director of the 1st Respondent, had no separate legal interest in the res or subject-matter of this appeal, and thus, bereft of locus standi. He relied on SALOMON v SALOMON & CO. (1879) AC 22 in support of this submission.

Counsel argued that, the jurisdiction of the trial court was ousted by the lack of locus standi on the part of the 2nd Respondent.

In response, counsel for the Respondents

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Ø ÞÒÏ ßÚÜÏ×Ï ÙßÜÞ ÙÐ ÓÑÏÜÓË Holden at Abuja On Tuesday, the 10th day of December, 2021 ÏÐÙÜÏ ÒÏÓÜ ÙÜÎÝÒÓÚÝ Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun Ejembi Eko Mohammed Lawal Garba Emmanuel Akomaye Agim Justices, Supreme Court SC./461/2018 ÏÞáÏÏØ Julius Berger Nig. Plc

And

1. Almighty Projects Innovative Ltd 2. Friday Obonoh

Appellant

Respondents

“The courts have held consistently that where a party had participated in the hearing of a substantive dispute, he cannot be heard to complain subsequently to raise an objection on appeal to non-compliance with the rules of procedure. Having acquiesced in the validity of the procedure by which the trial proceeded; he would not be permitted to contend otherwise at the appeal stage.”

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Ejembi Eko, JSC) submitted that the issue of lack of locus standi of the 2nd Respondent was not raised and pronounced upon at the court below, and there being no prior leave to raise it at the Supreme Court, the court cannot entertain it. Counsel relied on BABALOLA v STATE (1989) 4 NWLR (Pt. 115) 264.

On issue two, it was argued for the Appellant that by virtue of Section 97 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, every Writ of Summons for service outside the jurisdiction of the issuing court requires a mandatory endorsement; and so, in the instant case, where the Writ of Summons issued in the High Court of Akwa Ibom State was served in Abuja, carrying no endorsement for service out of jurisdiction, the jurisdiction of the trial court was thereby, ousted. Counsel relied on the authority of MR “ARABELLA” NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL INSURANCE CORPORATION (2008) NWLR (Pt. 1097). Responding, Counsel for the Respondents submitted that the failure to have the endorsement made on the Writ

“….. where a party had participated in the hearing of the substantive dispute, he cannot be heard to complain subsequently to raise an objection on appeal to non-compliance with the rules of procedure….. an objection to procedural irregularity must be taken at the commencement of the proceedings, or at the time the irregularity arises”

is an irregularity, which the Appellant, by filing her Notice of Intention to defend the suit and fully participating at the trial, waived the irregularity.

Court’s Judgement and Rationale On the first issue, the Supreme Court held that the issue is clearly new, as it was being raised for the first time at the Supreme Court and without leave of court.

It therefore ought to be discountenanced as an issue that lacks competence, and should be struck out - B & C (NIG) LTD v OKAFOR- UDEJI (2018) LRCN Vol. 282. The court however, went further to consider this issue on the merit, and held that the 2nd Respondent is a Director of the 1st Respondent and had the authorisation of the 1st Respondent to initiate the suit on her behalf; thus, the question of interest of 2nd Respondent crops up. This is because for someone to have locus standi in bringing an action, he must show that he has sufficient interest in the matter. In the determination of locus standi, the Writ of Summons/Statement of Claim filed by the Claimant is germane -ADESOKAN v ADEGOROLU (1993) 3 NWLR (Pt. 179) 307. In the instant case, the Respondents disclosed sufficient interest of the 2nd Respondent to be joined as a party in the suit. The 2nd Respondent is the Managing Director of the 1st Respondent, with his role on display in the affidavit pointing at the interest which conferred on him legal

capacity to sue and be heard in court.

Still on the first issue, their Lordships held that an action cannot be defeated by the misjoinder or nonjoinder of parties. If the presence of the 2nd Respondent in this suit is but a misjoinder as canvassed by the Appellant, it does not rob the court of its jurisdiction, rather the Court may in every cause or matter deal with the matter in controversy, so far as regards the rights and interest of the parties before it - SAPO & ANOR v SWIMONU (2010) LPELR-3015 (SC). It follows that the suit was properly instituted at the trial court which had exercised its jurisdiction, and the court below was correct to entertain the appeal.

In deciding issue two, the Supreme Court held that it is not in dispute that the Appellant, through its counsel, had unconditionally submitted to the jurisdiction of the trial court upon service of the Writ of Summons on it. The Appellant had every legal right to have objected to the defective service as it did now; predicating the objection under Sections 97 and 99 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act. However, the acknowledgment that the service of the originating process on the Appellant was by substituted means, presupposes that the Appellant was served within the jurisdiction of the trial court. In ADEGOKE MOTORS LTD v. ADESANYA (1989) 3 NWLR (Pt. 91) 664, a distinction was made between the issuance and service of the civil process of court. It was made clear that the issuance of a civil process may be another thing, though the two are inter-related steps in civil litigation. A Writ may be valid, while its service may suffer some defect.

Consequently, where a Writ of Summons was regularly issued but the service of the same is defective, what ought to be set aside is the service of the process. The party not properly served a process of court, has a right to have the service set aside. He can also waive that right, and proceed to submit to the jurisdiction of the court consequent upon the allegedly defective service. It is an issue of estoppel by conduct - ARIORI v ELEMO (1983) All NLR 1; Section 169 of the Evidence Act. On this statutory principle the courts have held consistently that where a party had participated in the hearing of the substantive dispute, he cannot be heard to complain subsequently to raise an objection on appeal to non-compliance with the rules of procedure. Having acquiesced in the validity of the procedure by which the trial proceeded; he would not be permitted to contend otherwise at the appeal stage - ADENE v DANTUNBU (1994) 2 NWLR (Pt. 328) 509. This court has been quite consistent in holding that an objection to procedural irregularity must be taken at the commencement of the proceedings, or at the time the irregularity arises. It is in the interest of justice, considered too late or belated for the party raising the objection to do so having taken steps in the proceedings aware of irregularity - SKENCONSULT (NIG) LTD v UKEY (1981) 1 SC 6; EZEMO v OYAKHIRE (1985) 1 NWLR (Pt. 2) 195.

The Appellant in this case, is caught in the similar web, and having taken steps after service, is estopped from complaining about the defective service. It has waived its legal right to object to the service - ARIORI v ELEMO (supra).

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation Ikoro N.A. Ikoro with Olatunde O. Emmanuel, Afolabi and Tobechukwu Eze for the Appellant.

Solomon Umoh, SAN with Obinna Mbata, Abasiodiona Ekpenyong, F. Ukpah and O.I. Ishola for the Respondents.

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

V

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

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Professor Drags Bayelsa Rep, Oseke to Court over Outstanding Professional Fees ÖÏâ Øß×ËÒ in Abuja A Law Professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Andrew Chukwuemerie, has dragged the House of Representatives Member representing Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, Hon. Preye Oseke, to court over default in payment of the professional fees for services rendered by the Claimant.

In two separate suits marked: ABJ/CV/3403/21 and ABJ/

CV/3404/21, the Claimant is seeking an order of the court compelling the House of Representatives Member to pay the balance of the professional fees owed the Claimant since 2019, when he defended the Federal Lawmaker in respect of the 2019 House of Representatives election.

In the first suit, the Claimant is demanding an order of the court compelling the Defendant to pay him the sum of N24,500,500, being and

representing the payment on a quantum merit basis, out of the N35 million agreed professional fee for instituting a suit against one of the Defendant’s opponents in the then 2019 House of Representatives poll (Rt. Hon. Benson Konbowei).

While the Claimant is also seeking payment of N5 million as exemplary and punitive damages against the Defendant, he also asked for another N20 million as the cost of the suit.

In the second suit which has to do with defending the Lawmaker at both the Election Petition Tribunal and at the

Court of Appeal also in 2019, the Senior Advocate is claiming the sum of N20 million as outstanding professional fees, another N500,000 as outstanding appearance fees, and the sum of N15 million as cost of the suit.

According to the Claimant, the Defendant had engaged him to defend his victory at the Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in 2019.

Oseke had contested the seat of the Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency in 2019 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and won the election, which was challenged

by his opponent.

The Claimant said due to his professional competence and diligent defence, Oseke won at both the Tribunal and the appellate court.

He said the problem started after Oseke’s victory at the Court of Appeal when he refused to pay him his outstanding professional fees, and would neither answer his telephone calls, nor reply his text messages.

According to the Claimant, at the time of the election cases, the Defendant had claimed that he was cashed-strapped and promised to pay his debt

immediately he has any money, adding that once he started at the National Assembly and gets paid, he would pay the debt.

The Claimant however, disclosed that several attempts to get the Lawmaker to fulfil his promises have failed to yield results, adding that the Defendant has “remained recalcitrant and unwilling to pay his debt”.

Professor Chukwuemerie concluded that, “it is now obvious that the Defendant will not pay those fees, except he is compelled by an order of this court”.

The Edo High Court No. 6, Sitting in Benin City, Presided over by the Hon Justice P.A. Akhihiero in Suit No: B/99D/2021 Chief Ferdinand O. Orbih (Carrying on legal practice as Ferdinand O Orbih SAN & Co.) v Edo State Geographic Information Service & 2 Ors, has stopped the collection of Land Use Charge in Edo State, stating that it is unconstitutional, null and void.

The case of Chief Ferdinand O. Orbih, SAN, was argued

by K.O. Obamogie Esq., who submitted with a plethora of authorities that, by virtue of Section 7 (1) (5) of the Constitu-

tion of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the collection of what the Edo State Government through a law called Land Use Charge, is the exclusive duty of the 18 Local Governments of Edo State specifically donated by the Constitution, which does not allow any derogation whatsoever.

Counsel for the Claimant, K.O. Obamogie specifically made reference to Paragraph 1(j) of the Fourth Schedule of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which states thus : "1- The main functions of a

local government council are as follows: (j) assessment of privately owned houses or tenements for the purpose of levying such rates as may be prescribed by the House of Assembly of a State ;" Counsel for the Claimant, among other arguments, contended that the Land Use Charge Law 2012 was enacted by the Edo State House of Assembly in flagrant breach of Section 7 Subsection 1 & 5 and paragraph 1(j) of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution. Counsel submitted that the Local Governments cannot give up powers donated to

them by Constitution to collect Tenement Rates through an Agreement between the 18 Local Governments and Edo State Government, being an obligatory duty imposed by the Constitution; and he asked the Court to grant the reliefs sought by the Claimant.

In her submission, Counsel for the Defendant, Mrs V. U. Adeleye (Director), Edo State Ministry of Justice, submitted that, the Edo State Land Use Charge 2012 is a valid law that has consolidated property taxes, and that the Law is not at variance with the Constitution.

NBA, MacArthur Foundation Collaborate Edo State High Court Restrains Edo GIS from with Police on New ACJA Demanding and Collecting Land Use Charge the Lagos State Attorney-General ÞÏàÏ ãË The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation, last Wednesday, held a colloquium with the Police on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

The theme was, “The Role of the Nigeria Police in the Implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and Compliance with the Principles of Human Rights in Law Enforcement”.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Mr Tobenna Erojikwe, expressed his delight with the event, because it brought together the key players responsible for the implementation of ACJA in the country. He stated that the NBA was proud to have to have the Police along, as they solve issues that affects the smooth running of the ACJA. He however, expressed disappointment over the fact that not all States of the Federation have signed the Act to since it came into being in 2015, unlike Lagos State which has not only signed it, but has gone further to do a review of it, signed by the Governor in 2020.

Also speaking at the event,

and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, who was represented by the State Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide Martins, also expressed happiness over the event. He said that the Lagos State Government reviewed the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, in order to bring it up to international best practices after it has operated it for over ten years. He maintained that the State will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and the NBA, to find solutions to the grey areas in the law.

Some of the issues that were discussed in the new law include, the parading of suspects, recording of confessions, plea bargain, as well as arrest and detention.

The working sessions were conducted by Mr Saka Azimazi, on the need for the Police to comply with the principles of human rights and respect the rule of law in fulfilling their law enforcement mandate.

The role of the Nigeria Police in the speedy and successful implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, conducted by Mrs Kate Okoh-Kpina, the Advisor, Rule of law at GIZ Police Program Africa, Nigeria.

#upjudicialsalaries

PHOTO NEWS

Professor Epiphany Azinge, SAN and his wife, Dr Mrs Valerie Azinge, SAN at the wedding of their son, Olisa to Adora Erike, which took place at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki, Abuja on April 23, 2022

The Newly Weds, Olisa & Adora Azinge

‘I am aware that between 1999 to date, the Federal Government reviewed the salaries and allowances of public servants, specifically in 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2011. However, the salaries of judicial officers were only reviewed twice during the same period. As a result, judicial officers have been on the same salary structure for more than 10 years. It may now be necessary for the NJC to provide leadership on possible renewed negotiation on this issue, as part of a holistic discussion on judicial autonomy.” - Dr Kayode Fayemi, Governor, Ekiti State; Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum

VI

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

INSIGHT ˛

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Run, Jonathan, Run; You Can! Introduction he build-up to next year’s presidential election is fast assuming fever-pitch, at least, if trending news in traditional and social media is anything to go by. At the very top of these news items, is the speculation about the intention of former President Goodluck Jonathan to re-contest for that office. What is seemingly agitating commentators is the legality or constitutionality of that aspiration – if and when it manifests, and he declares. For now, ‘mum’ seems to be the word, as the man himself has merely asked his supporters to “watch out”. Given the eminence of some members of the “No” camp, it is worthwhile to interrogate their position and to wonder whether it is legally tenable, regardless of its motivation.

T

Overview Prior to 2018, there was no express constitutional or legal bar to a former Vice-President who completed the aborted tenure of his principal, seeking re-election in his own right, for the full tenure of two four-year terms. See Section 136(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that “a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections”. Few, if any, of those who canvass the ineligibility of former President Jonathan for next year’s polls seem to have averted their minds to this provision.

On the contrary, all of them base their positions on the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution which was assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari on 7th June, 2018. What was the amendment all about? It simply added a new Section 137(3), amongst others, to the Constitution, as follows: “A person who was sworn-in as president to complete the term for which another person was elected shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term”.

President Jonathan’s Peculiar Position In relation to former President Jonathan, the view of the nay-sayers is that, to the extent that he completed the death-aborted tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, and having served a full four-year term himself between 2011 and 2015, this ‘new' provision disqualifies him from seeking another four-year term. Are they right?

I believe the answer will depend on the interpretation which is placed on the aforesaid provision. Is it prospective, in terms of applying to a future Vice-President who was elected after the 7th day of June, 2018 (when the amendment was assented to by President Buhari), and who assumes and completes the aborted tenure of a substantive President, or is it retrospective (or retroactive) and applies to a person - like former President Jonathan, who completed President Yar’adua’s aborted tenure in 2010 – a full eight years prior to the amendment?

This is the crux of the matter. When does a law or Constitution (including their amendments or alterations) take effect? Can they apply retrospectively to affect vested rights which accrued prior to such amendments/ alterations? That is the question. We shall get into that anon, but before that, let’s attempt

Former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR

an answer to the first poser.

According to the Interpretation Act, Section 2: “(1) An Act is passed when the President assents to the Bill for the Act, whether or not the Act then comes into force”; “(2) Where no other provision is made as to the time when a particular enactment is to come into force, it shall, subject to the following subsection, came into force – (a) In the case of an enactment contained in an Act of the National Assembly, on the day when the Act is passed; (b) In any other case, on the day when the enactment is made” This would, however, have been relevant were the Amending Act in this case is silent on it’s commencement date. It is not. On the contrary, it clearly states on its face that it commences from the 7th day of June, 2018. This settles the matter, as no court even has the jurisdiction to construe it in any way other than in the light of its said commencement date.

The foregoing neatly dovetails into the settled legal position, that a statute is not to be given retrospective effect unless there are express provisions which justify such a construction. See OJOKOLOBO v ALAMU (1987) 3 NWLR pt. 61 pg. 377 at 396H, where the Supreme Court held that “It is a cardinal principle of our law that a statute operates prospectively and cannot apply retrospectively unless it is made to do so by clear and express terms, or it only affects purely procedural matters and does not affect the rights of the parties”.

In other words, as the Apex Court further held in AFOLABI v GOVERNOR OF OYO STATE (1985) 2 NWLR Pt. 9 Pg. 734, statutes are to be interpreted as only applying to cases or situations which come into existence after they were passed, unless a retrospective effect is clearly intended.

A notable exception to this, however, are

“I believe that only the most bigoted and selfopinionated opponent of the former President, will continue to insist that he is constitutionally-ineligible to vie for the highest office – either next year or in any other election cycle….there is absolutely no legal or constitutional impediment or bar to him doing so”

retrospective criminal statutes which are completely banned under Sections 4(9) and 36(8) of the Constitution.

If the rationes decidendi in the Ojokolobo and Afolabi cases are applied to Section 137(3) of the Constitution, the obvious question is whether, from it’s text, an intention to confer a retrospective effect on it is clearly expressed or can be reasonably inferred. I submit that, from an objective and dispassionate analysis of that provision, neither is the case. I submit that a contrary opinion would be to suggest that the amendment was specifically targeted at President Jonathan, with the intention of permanently barring him from standing for election as President. I believe that a more malevolent and diabolical legislative intention cannot be found in the annals of our constitutional history. Quite simply, it was not the case in respect of Section 137(3) of the Constitution. That notion is far-fetched and is a historical fallacy. President Jonathan was not the reason for including Section 137(3) into the Constitution. In other words, that provision is not retrospective, but, is rather prospective.

Is Case Law Any Guide?

Directly? No. As previously opined, President Jonathan’s position is unique and unprecedented. However, by way of analogy, it is at least arguable that the express constitutional restriction of the ban on retrospective legislation to only criminal statues, ought not to be interpreted as prejudicing accrued rights which have vested under noncriminal provisions - such as those of former President Jonathan to seek a fresh four-year term - which accrued under the 1999 Constitution prior to its said 4th Alteration. I submit that such a construction would be grossly unfair, and would violate the right to equal protection of the law under Article 3(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. See N.N.P.C. v FAWEHINMI (1998) 7 NWLR Pt. 559 Pg. 698 at 616.

In the circumstances, some have relied on certain decisions on other amended provisions of the Constitution which appear to have construed those provisions retrospectively. I believe they merely compare apples with oranges. As the late, great, jurist, Oputa, JSC, opined repeatedly, each case is only authority for what it actually decided and must, therefore, be cited in the light of it’s own peculiar facts.

In this regard, I believe that if we

construe the subject amendment in the light of the following decisions of our appellate courts, they will put it beyond argument that our position on the interpretation of Section 137(3) of the Constitution as amended (that is, that it is prospective and does not apply to President Jonathan) is the correct one. They include: (i) “it is a cardinal principle for interpreting the provisions of the Constitution that where, in their ordinary meaning, the provisions are clear and unambiguous, effect should be given to them without resorting to any external aid”: ISHOLA v AJIBOYE (1994) 6 NWLR pt. 352 pg.

506 @ 565F; (ii) A broad and liberal spirit should prevail in interpreting the provisions of the Constitution”. BRONIK MOTORS v WEMA BANK (1983) 14 NSCC 226 @ 240; (iii) “Any narrow interpretation of the provision (of the Constitution) will do violence to it, and will fail to achieve the goal set by the Constitution”: ATT-GEN OF ONDO STATE v ATT-GEN OF THE FED (2002) 6 S.C. 1 @ 28; (iv) “where the words of the legislature are clear, there is no room for applying any of the principles of interpretation, which are merely presumptions in cases of ambiguity in the statute”: NATIONAL BANK v WEIDE & CO. (1996) 8 NWLR pt. 465 pg. 150 @ 165.

Conclusion Seldom has the cliché - ‘all is fair in love and war’ been more apposite than in the run-up to next year’s presidential elections.

The brick-bats have come (and are coming) thick and fast, with scant regard for factual and legal correctness. To his credit, President Jonathan has maintained a dignified near-silence, speaking only when it is absolutely necessary – and then, with his trademark civility. This is as it should be, and is commendable.

In the light of the foregoing judicial, statutory and constitutional authorities, I believe that only the most bigoted and self-opinionated opponent of the former President, will continue to insist that he is constitutionally-ineligible to vie for the highest office – either next year or in any other election cycle. I posit that the choice is solely his to make, and there is absolutely no legal or constitutional impediment or bar to him doing so. I suspect that some of those who peddle a contrary narrative, are motivated by less than altruistic considerations. Is anybody afraid of President Jonathan? That is the question.

VII

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

0809 889 8888 SMS ONLY

Election and Defection: Who Owns the Votes? (Part 3)

Introduction The New Trend Regarding Defections (Continues) ast week, we discussed the new order and trend which emphasise that, contrary to the earlier position in Amaechi’s case, votes are now held to belong to the candidates who are natural beings. Votes do not belong to political parties which are an abstraction, agent and mere vehicle that a candidate rides to victory. Political parties campaign, gather and garner votes for the candidates.

It is the candidate that is recognised, as the winner and owner of the votes cast at an election.

The Supreme Court has thus, interpreted Section 141 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), which came into force after Amaechi’s case of 2008, to the effect that votes belong to a candidate; not his political party.

In NWANKWO & ANOR v INEC & ORS (2019) LPELR-48862(CA) the Court of Appeal was even more elaborate and pungent. It held: “... It is trite that, it is only a natural person that can be lawfully declared and returned as a winner of an election.

The Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) only contemplates the declaration and return of a candidate in an election, and not a political party…. Submits that a clear reading of Section 156 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) stipulates that only a candidate can be declared and returned as a winner of an election, and also that the candidate must be one who participated in all the stages of the election, hence the wordings “a candidate in an election”…

Furthermore, it is trite that a political party is an abstraction. It has to canvass for votes through its members as agents, in the same way it contests, wins or loses election through a candidate it nominates who acts as its agent. WADA v BELLO (2016) 17 NWLR (PT.1542) 374 at 427-428, PARAS H-A. In the case of NGIGE v AKUNYILI (2012) 15 NWLR (PT.1323) 343 at 357-376, the court held thus: “...it is my considered view that the Appellant in relying on the provision quoted above (Section 211 of the Constitution), has conveniently lost sight of the underlined words which show that a political party canvasses for votes on behalf of the candidate.

In other words, that a political party is nothing more than an agent of the candidate in gathering votes for an election. It is my further view that is against the backdrop of this, that the Electoral Act (Supra) requires the candidate (and not the party of the candidate) that has the highest number of votes at an election to be declared as the winner of the said election, and further provides for the means of challenging the return of the candidate (and not his political party)...” Interestingly, PW2 who was the Returning Officer in the election in contest, also admitted that by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), INEC Manual and Guidelines, it is a natural person and not an artificial person that can be returned in an election. In Paragraph 13 of his Statement on Oath, he stated thus: “...that I know I was expected to return a natural person and not a political party, as the winner had

L

Professor Mahmood Yakubu

not been controverted...” That since the 2nd Respondent has no candidate for the election, the position of the law is very clear as to validity of votes cast for a political party who has no candidates. The law is that, such votes are regarded as wasted votes. In the case of APC & ANOR v SENATOR KABIRU GARBA MARAFA & ORS (UNREPORTED DECISION OF SUPREME COURT IN SC/377/2019 DELIVERED ON THE 24TH DAY OF MAY, 2019), the Supreme Court held thus: “….For the avoidance of doubt, a party that has no candidates in an election, cannot be declared the winner of the election. This being so, the votes credited to the alleged candidates of the Appellant in the 2019 general elections in Zamfara State, are wasted votes.

For that reason, it is hereby ordered that candidates of parties other than the 1st Appellant with the highest votes and the required spread, stand elected into various offices that were contested for in Zamfara State in the 2019 General Elections...”. The law had earlier been stated by the Supreme Court in AGHEDO v ADENOMO (2018) 13 NWLR (Pt.1636) 264 @ 304 - 305 per EKO JSC thus: “...No political party by virtue of the said Section 106 (d) of the Constitution can be declared winner of any general election conducted by the INEC (3rd Respondent), if it had no candidate qualified to conduct the election.

Similarly, a candidate not sponsored by a political party by virtue of Section 106 of the Constitution, cannot win an election. So also, a political party that sponsored no valid or competent candidate in accordance with due process of the law, cannot win an election or votes therefrom...”. See also the case of OZOMGBACHI v AMADI (2018) 7 NWLR (Pt.1647) 171 at 196 where the Supreme Court per PETER-ODILI JSC held as follows: “...I agree with the counsel for the 1st Respondent that the present case is a total departure from the foregoing cases. I believe the Supreme Court has laid to rest, the contention that it is the Political Party to contest and win an election. In CPC v OMBUGADU (2013) 18 NWLR (Pt.1385) 66, the

“The parties are but mere agents of and gatherer of votes for the candidates, as it is the candidates and not the political parties that contest elections”

Court was categorical that individuals as candidates win elections, and not political parties...”.

In the case of HON. SUNDAY AGHEDO v GODWIN O. ADENOMO & ORS (2018) NWLR 13 (PT 1636), the Apex Court, while unanimously dismissing the appeal of the Appellant, held that when a party presents an unqualified candidate, or where the process leading to the nomination of the candidates at the general election is faulty, any votes cast for the candidates are wasted votes, and such a party is considered not to have presented any candidates for the general election. This was the same decision in APC & ORS v SENATOR KABIRU MARAFA & 170 ORS (2020) 6 NWLR (Pt. 1721) 383, which I handled from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.

Furthermore, in the HON. SUNDAY AGHEDO case (supra), the Apex Court held that a candidate not sponsored by a political party can also not win an election. This case, while emphasising the symbiotic relationship between a candidate and his political party, gave primacy to the status of the candidate, since no matter the volume of votes scored in an election, same are considered wasted votes where the candidate was never qualified in the first place. The Apex Court specifically talked about “any votes cast for the candidates”, being wasted votes. It never said “any votes cast for the political party”, because votes do not belong to the political parties, but to candidates they sponsored. The parties are but mere agents of and gatherer of votes for the candidates, as it is the candidates and not the political parties that contest elections.

Similarly, in the case of DR CHRIS NWABUEZE NGIGE v PROFESSOR DORA NKEM AKUNYILI & ORS. (2011) LCN/4951(CA); [2012]15 NWLR PT 1323, the Court of Appeal, coram the Honourable Justice Samuel Oseji JCA (as he then was), reading the lead judgement of the court, followed the new trend that it is a candidate, and not a political party, that owns the votes. The intermediate court luminously dilated as follows: “A political party canvasses for votes, on behalf of the candidate. In other words, that a political party is nothing more than an agent of the candidate in gathering votes for an election. It is my further view that it is against the backdrop of this, that the Electoral Act (supra) requires the candidate (and not the party of the candidate) that has the

highest number of votes at an election to be declared as the winner of the said election, and further provides for the means of challenging the return of the candidate (and not his political party). It would equally appear that it is against the backdrop of the fact that political parties canvass for votes on behalf of their respective candidates, that while Forms EC8A – ECSE referred to by the Appellant bear the names of political parties, it is still the candidate of the political party (and not the political party itself) that has the highest number of votes against his name that is declared as the winner of an election conducted under the Electoral Act”.

The case of WADA v BELLO (2017) 3 WRN 72, is another case that is also often very misinterpreted and misapplied.

It was never a case concerning defection, as happened in the cases of ABUBAKAR, UMAHI, AYADE and MATAWALLE. In this case, the Governorship election had commenced on 21st November, 2015.

Before the results were fully collated and announced, the initial candidate of the APC party in the election, Prince Abubakar Audu (my good friend and client; may God rest his noble soul, amen), died. At the end of the collation of results, INEC declared the election inconclusive because the margin of win between the said Prince Abubakar Audu and the 1st Appellant (Governor Wada) was less than the total number of registered voters in 91 polling units where elections had earlier been cancelled. Prince Audu had picked and run with Faleke, who did not take part in the primaries.

Upon receipt of the news of the death of Prince Audu from his party, the INEC, by a public notice, took the decision to conclude the Kogi State Governorship election by conducting supplementary election in the said 91 polling units affected by the said cancellation, and to allow the APC fill the vacancy thus created by the death of Prince Audu, its candidate. At the said supplementary election in the 91 polling units, Bello, the APC’s new candidate, scored 6,885 votes, while Wada of the PDP scored 5,383 votes.

Upon the addition of the results of the aforesaid supplementary election with the result of the elections earlier held, Yahaya Bello (who came second at its primary election), scored the highest number of lawful votes cast in the said election and also met the constitutional requirement of securing one quarter of all the votes cast in each of at least two third of Local Government Areas of Kogi State.

Bello and Hon. James Faleke were issued Certificates of Return, which Hon. James Faleke rejected. Based on the Certificate of Return, Bello was sworn in as Governor of Kogi State.

Dissatisfied with the said election and return of Bello, the Appellants filed their petition complaining of sundry infractions.

The Supreme Court held that the Tribunal was right, in holding that Bello was rightly returned as the winner of the election. It illuminated thus: “This is because substitution of a party simply means, a designation of a person or thing to take the place of another or thing. It is the process by which one person or thing takes the place of another or thing etc. See Black’s Law Dictionary page 147 UGWU v ARARUME (2007) 12 NWLR (Part 1048) 365, ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF ANAMBRA v ATTORNEY- GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION (1993) 6 NWLR (part 302) 692.” (To be continued).

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “Winning or losing of the election is less important than strengthening the country”. (Indira Gandhi)

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TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

Chrisland Schools

Chrisland Sex Scandal: Abdication of Duty by Parents and Schools The wide outrage that trailed the recent sex video of some students of the upscale, Chrisland School while on a Sports trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, awoke in many Nigerian parents the pent-up frustrations of parenting and disciplining teenage and even younger wards. Who is to blame, Parents, Schools or Government?

All three, it seems. ËÓØËÌ ßÖÏÓ×ËØ ÕÓØÙ and ÎÙË×ËÙáÙ ÎÏ×Ï discuss the matters arising in respect of the Chrisland matter, especially as such deviant behaviour seems to be prevalent in many schools. They x-ray the undeniable rot that currently pervades our secondary educational institutions, while ØãÏÕËÍÒÓ ×ËÒ examines the age of culpability of young Nigerian offenders, vis-à-vis the various criminal laws across the country Teenage Sex Scandal and the Burden of Parenthood Zainab Suleiman Okino Introduction

A

fter its initial knee-jerk reaction and almost two weeks of blame-game, the Lagos State Government ordered the reopening of Chrisland Schools, perhaps in realisation that, although it takes a village to raise a child - and that includes the school environment, the foundation of that training starts with the home, that is the parents.

The school was shut down over controversial sexual acts involving minors/students of the school, in far away Dubai. The action of the Lagos State Government won’t (and shouldn’t) stop investigations into the case, but at least, it won’t retard the progress of examination classes and the over 70 other students on the same trip who were not tainted by the naughty few.

What happened in Dubai is a peek into the moral crisis facing us, an indication that something has gone wrong with our society,

and in the kind of training we give our children. In fairness, we all share in the blame; however individual family values cannot be discountenanced too, in how a child behaves at home and out of the home.

Background Chrisland Schools had organised the students for the World School Game (WSG) in Dubai with another Nigerian representative, St. Saviours School, Ikoyi.

The WSG had over 900 students from across the world for U-11, U-13 and U-15 participating, with the game “providing an opportunity to showcase the very best in athletics, swimming and football on the world stage”.

A Chrisland learner, Durowoju Temiloluwa emerged the Most Valuable Athlete in the (U-13) event. Sadly, this moment of glory for Chrisland’s youngster, has now been overshadowed by the highly embarrassing display by another minor involved in an erotic sexual act that has since gone viral.

Matters Arising Even though the school can take responsibility for what went wrong, the

“What happened in Dubai is a peek into the moral crisis facing us, an indication that something has gone wrong with our society, and in the kind of training we give our children”

parents of the girl have more questions to answer. The raising and training of a child start from the family unit, and from the way the girl acted like a professional in that video, it is obvious that something had earlier gone awry with her upbringing, in form of sexual abuse/molestation without the parents noticing. It soon turned out that the girl had social media handles where she showcased her erotic dance steps, body display and had garnered over 20 thousand likes and clicks.

How did she get to that level you might ask? I do not know either, except to hazard some guesses. In the name of civilisation, love for their kids, and exposing them to the best money can buy, some parents literally spoil their children with expensive gifts, including gadgets such as iPhone and Samsung loaded with data, which invariably expose the affected children to the endless possibilities of the digital era. It is obvious that the minors in the video had such gadgets, yet these are kids that do not work or earn money.

And because the very girl in question and her ‘co-actors’ are minors who deserve sympathy, counselling and psychological evaluation, who else do you blame but their parents, especially mothers, in the light of the new revelations that have come up.

The Chrisland Schools’ authority was said to have accommodated the girls on the 11th floor, and the boys at the fourth floor. They had about five chaperons checking/guiding them, and that fateful day, they had done same, only for the girl to sneak out to the boys’

fourth floor room after midnight. This girl, in particular, was already out of control at home obviously.

One of the parents, a celebrity who accompanied her son to the event, Shola Ogudu, has alleged that the girl belongs to a clique known for nasty things, while advising parents to pay attention to what their children are exposed to.

“I accompanied my son to represent his school at the just concluded WSG, and I can say for a fact that the (the girl) in question was definitely not raped. I remember vividly the shock in my son’s face, when he was telling me about a video some other kids were watching.” He said “Mum, I couldn’t stand the video, I had to excuse myself. He said the gist circulating was that the girl and her clique played a game of truth or dare, of which this particular girl couldn’t stop the ‘dares’…seeing this post now and the twist of it all, I just couldn’t take it, because I know for a fact how very strict the teachers on the trip were, and blaming such immorality and negligence on the school is unfair, because it definitely wasn’t”; adding that even if the teachers break their backs for kids, “charity begins at home”.

The Blame Game Before we blame the school, this well-worn out cliché should not be lost on all of us.

Where did we get it wrong? Why did we suddenly forget our primary duties of being responsible parents; mothering, guiding, mentoring, helping children to decipher and teaching subtle sex education. Instead, we run from pillar to post in pursuit of money that may later constitute a problem to those children.

For her, it is either there is abuse or

IX COVER

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ÒÜÓÝÖËØÎ Ïâ ÍËØÎËÖ˝ ÌÎÓÍËÞÓÙØ ÙÐ ßÞã Ìã ËÜÏØÞÝ ËØÎ ÍÒÙÙÖÝ pornography around their home, or there is a disconnect between mother and child, and so what the girl did in Dubai is, to her, just normal. How unfortunate indeed, that social media is now amplifying bad parenting and decadence.

A quick internet check reveals the rich, excellent pedigree of Chrisland Schools which has produced a lot of today’s important individuals, parents too and brilliant minds in its over 45 years of operation, who themselves have been good ambassadors of the school.

So, before we crucify Chrisland Schools, let us look inwards and ask appropriate questions. Have we done our bit as parents, and if this girl was abused, why is it that the parents never discovered it? And this by no means, is not saying that the school should not do more. They have to.

Government and Private Schools Besides, has the Government also done enough overseeing of the proliferation of private schools? Of course, the answer is no.

Private schools have become ubiquitous, because Government has since abdicated its responsibility. Government is near absent in our daily lives, and private schools fill the vacuum created by their absence; after all, most parents patronising private schools are themselves products of well-run public schools. That was then.

Anyway, here is another opportunity for introspection and the propriety of sex education in schools, and age-appropriate discussions between parents and their children. Above all, no child should have access to modern gadgets (especially android phones) and data (except for the purpose of assignments), until after their secondary school education. There are also parental control features on these phones making the rounds. We should endeavour to read and practicalise it, in our homes.

For the ‘limited access’ approach, so far, this has worked in my household and a few others I know. This is also a wake-up call for us to imbibe in our kids, moral instruction, decorum and religious teachings.

Zainab Suleiman Okino, Syndicated Columnist

Chrisland School Sex Sandal, Interrogating the Issues Edoamaowo Udeme Background Nigerians woke up on 17th April, 2022 to see a live child pornographic video, perpetrated by Nigerian children from a Lagos private school known as Chrisland Schools, who were taken to Dubai on a school sports trip.

Initially, the story from the mother of the main face in the video, was that she was drugged and gang-raped by five boys, but the video clip seemed to reveal otherwise. They participants were both enjoying the act and talking, even when another schoolmate complained that she couldn't sleep because of the noise they were making. The t-shirt of the mate gave them away. Worst still, a social media handle of the supposed victim showed her having several followers on a handle called Likee.

Then, more confusion came as the battle for her age surfaced, while the mother claimed her child is 10 years old, those who watched the sex video and her social

Zainab Suleiman Okino handle name badgurl4k swore that she was far above that age, as she supposedly handled both like a professional.

Reactions Sadly, instead of Nigerians condemning the social handle, the about initial 2000 likes, jumped to 10,000 likes overnight. I won't be surprised if over 9000 overnight followers, were grown adult males. The backlashing came flooding, until the account was deleted a few days after.

While some channeled their anger towards the school which saw the Lagos State Government ordering it's closure till further notice, some channeled theirs to the mother of the girl, complaining of her being a bad influence and pretentious mother.

If she were truly 10, someone somewhere messed that child up, either from home or school, the way she handled sex, that wasn't her 5th time. Someone corrupted her, her parents, close family members, relatives, cousins, uncles, househelps, someone is in the know of why the simply innocent girl turned to being a part of such acts.

Then I asked, why are the two men in the picture not mentioned? I mean the boy in the video, and the girl’s father?

If we are talking about parental neglect, where is the girl’s father?

Supervisors Indeed!

I also asked, why on earth would anybody allow a minor go on a school trip outside the country, whether supervised or not? Even if it were free, my child can never participate in such an outing.

Call me archaic or old school, I don't care. They said they travelled with their supervisors, if the "school supervisors" were doing their work, would that incident have taken place?

It beats me hollow when some parents leave parental responsibilities to teachers, who also have their own personal responsibilities. Teachers, on the other hand, require regular training, retraining on children’s mental health,

“Then I asked, why are the two men in the picture not mentioned? I mean the boy in the video, and the girl’s father? If we are talking about parental neglect, where is the girl’s father?”

Edoamaowo Udeme to be able to detect a child's attitude that requires attention.

But, are the teachers being trained by school owners? No, some school owners are "Shylocks", making them work till they drop, making them work like elephants but eat like ants; so, teachers and supervisors survive by keeping "secrets" of and for the children, some to gain a few coins from the rich children, others to stay safe and not loose their jobs.

Drugs?

We also left the issue of drugs out of the story, if there were indeed drugs, where did the minors get it from? Did they fly it from Lagos to Dubai, or did they purchase it there? Who sold drugs to minors? Who was their middleman? How did they obtain it? Did they purchase it online? Certainly, some adults were involved, but who? A million questions unanswered.

Pornography Rich parents are not only competing about the kind of clothes and shoes their children wear, the are also competing about which latest iPhone to purchase and give their children. So, when we are suspecting a child’s attitude towards sex, don't forget that some of them sleep and wake up with pornography on their phones, they watch, masturbate, and practice the real thing while watching.

The school standard has also become a case study. I am yet to see a child being asked to withdraw from a private school because of low grades, and they are a lot of them. The school owners concern isn't the child's grades, it is monies being paid by parents, especially the rich ones.

I remember when we started our quest for justice for Keren-Happuch Akpagher, a 14 year old of a high class private school, Premier Academy Lugbe, Abuja, who died from sepsis caused by a used condom found inside her vagina. On interviewing sources, I was told that at a time, a student once told a teacher "My one term fees can pay your salary for one year, if you don't take your time, I will make you beg like a mad woman on the street".

Yes! Such audacity is found everywhere, in such schools. How about teachers being slapped by students!

Several times, I can't count how many teachers have been asked by school owners to kneel down and apologise to parents, or write.

Edoamaowo Udeme, Founder and Executive Director, Network Against Domestic Violence Foundation

When Minors are Criminals in Nigeria Onyekachi Umah 1. Introduction With the growing rate of sexual abuse, domestic violence, online pornography, poor parenting and weak school administrators, it is common to find minors engaging in bullying, sexual activities, stealing, secret cults and other crimes. This work examines the position of the law, where the alleged offenders are minors (children). It answers these questions: “are all minors free from criminal responsibility”; “Who is a Minor ’; “Minors as Criminal Offenders”; “the Culpability of Minors in Nigeria”; “the Culpability of Minors in States in Southern Nigeria”; “the Culpability of Minors in States in Northern Nigeria”; and “the Culpability of Minors in Lagos State, South of Nigeria”.

2. Who is a Minor (Child)?

The English language is the official language of Nigeria and the Nigerian legislature, courts and Lawyers in Nigeria. However, the ordinary meaning of English words may not explain words when used in legal documents and laws. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines a “minor” as “someone who is too young to have the legal responsibilities of an adult”. While the dictionary definition is correct, in law, “minor” will be better understood if age is attached to the description.

According to the Child Rights Act, a child means “… a person under the age of eighteen years”. This same meaning is adopted by all the Child Rights Laws enacted

by States across Nigeria. Some States in the Northern part of Nigeria, have refused to pass a Child Rights Law. Hence, in States in Nigeria where there is no Child Rights Law, there may be no clear basis to argue that 18 years is the age of maturity.

While the Criminal Code did not use the word “minor”, it referred to a “child and young person” in several contexts, as a living person from birth to about 16 years old.

The Penal Code Laws provide that a child is a living person at birth and less than 18 years old, and also made reference to the “Children and Young Persons Act”.

In the Children and Young Persons Act, a person less than 14 years old is a child, Cont'd on page X

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ÒÜÓÝÖËØÎ Ïâ ÍËØÎËÖ˝ ÌÎÓÍËÞÓÙØ ÙÐ ßÞã Ìã ËÜÏØÞÝ ËØÎ ÍÒÙÙÖÝ Cont'd from page IX

and a person that is 14 years old but less than 18 years old is a young person.

The Criminal Law of Lagos State defines a child as a child under the Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State. And the Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State defines a child to be a person below 18 years old. This pattern is common among the States that have Child Rights Laws, and amended their State criminal laws. The concerned States and their laws are discussed below.

3. Minors as Criminal Offenders Rape, violence, and all other forms of sexual offences are criminal offences. So, this section focuses on rape and all other criminal offences, where the offenders (suspected offenders) are minors (persons less than 18 years old).

Prior to the amalgamation of the Southern Protectorate and the Northern Protectorate in 1914 to birth Nigeria, the nations on the two sides had their unique systems and traditions. To date, this is clear in the two different criminal laws that operate in the Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria.

The Criminal Code is the criminal law operational in the Southern part of Nigeria, while the Penal Code operates in the Northern part of Nigeria. The two criminal laws, have their points of similarities and differences. Popular among them is the fact that adultery is an offence in the Northern part of Nigeria, but not an offence in the Southern part of Nigeria.

It is important to mention that both Federal and non-Federal (State) offences in South Nigeria are contained in the Criminal Code Act, although some States in the South have presently enacted State Criminal laws that merely focus on the State offences already provided in the Criminal Code Act. Only a few States in the Southern part of Nigeria have repealed their State Criminal Code Laws, and enacted radically different State Criminal Laws. In Northern Nigeria,, the Federal offences are contained in the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act (No. 25 of 1960). Federal offences include treason, sedition, and customs offences. The non-Federal offences are contained in the various Penal Code Laws operating in States in Northern Nigeria.

In both Southern and Northern Nigeria, there are special provisions for minors. The laws believe that there are specific ages for human beings to acquire the ability to understand good and bad, and differentiate evil from good. Yes, the laws could not close their eyes to human psychology. This is also the point where many Nigerians erroneously conclude that, minors cannot be held responsible for crimes. This common belief may be wrong, as the succeeding paragraphs will reveal.

4. The Culpability of Minors in Nigeria Across many States in Nigeria, minors are persons below 18 years. Contrary to popular belief, not all minors are free from paying for their (crimes) sins. There are special minors of certain ages and capacities that are free like air, and will always get away with any crime. Also, their location (States) in Nigeria, may matter. Hence, we will expose the minors that cannot be held responsible for their crimes, according to the relevant locations (States) in Nigeria.

1. The Culpability of Minors in States in Southern Nigeria In the States in the Southern part of

ØãÏÕËÍÒÓ ×ËÒ Nigeria, where the Criminal Code is operational, the Criminal Code provides that a person that is less than seven years old, cannot be held responsible for any offence. This means that children from ages zero to less than seven years, cannot be held responsible for any crime they commit. Such minors are free to do anything they wish, and they will get away with it. They are saints by law, and not necessarily by conduct; statutory saints.

It also provides that a person that is below 12 years old cannot be held responsible for a crime, unless it is proven that the person at the time of the crime, had the capacity to know that he/she should not have committed such an offence. This means that children from age seven to eleven years, cannot be held responsible for any crime they committed, so far as they had no understanding that they should not commit such an offence.

The focus on the ages below 12 in the Southern part of Nigeria means that although minors are from ages zero to less than 18, any minor that is 12 years or above will be fully responsible for his/ her criminal actions.

For clarity, the Section 30 of the Criminal Code is reproduced below: “A person under the age of seven years is not criminally responsible for any act or omission.

A person under the age of twelve years is not criminally responsible for an act or omission, unless it is proved that at the time of doing the act or making the omission, he had capacity to know that he ought not to do the act or make the omission.

A male person under the age of twelve years is presumed to be incapable of having carnal knowledge.”

So, where a child that is less than 12

“While minors are persons below 18 years old, not all minors are free from criminal responsibility in Nigeria. ….The location of a minor, affects the criminal responsibility of the minor. Some States have placed the age of zero criminal responsibility at seven and 10 years. Many States have also chosen 12 years as the possible age of zero criminal responsibility…..”

years old is alleged to have committed an offence in a State in the Southern part of Nigeria, the defence team can easily get justice for the child by proving the age of the child, and that the child lacked the capacity to understand the crime at the time of the crime. This may be a downside, for smart and intelligent minors that are less than 12 years. It is important to note that few States (Like Lagos State) have dumped the Criminal Code and enacted their own unique State criminal laws. Some of the States and their laws will be discussed below.

2. The Culpability of Minors in States in Northern Nigeria For States in Northern Nigeria, ages seven and twelve are important in proving that a minor is guilty of a crime. The Penal Code Laws provide that a person that is less than seven years old cannot be held responsible for any offence. Whether the less than seven years old minor has the capacity to know that he/she should not commit the offence, is immaterial.

Furthermore, the Penal Code Laws also provide that a person that is seven years old but less than 12 years old, cannot be held responsible for any offence unless it can be proven that the person has the maturity to understand the nature and consequences of the offence.

The focus on the ages below 12 in the States in the Northern part of Nigeria means that although minors are from ages zero to less than 18, any minor that is 12 years or above will be fully responsible for his/her criminal actions.

Section 50 of the Penal Code Laws states; “No act is an offence which is done- Act of child. (a) by a child under seven years of age; or (b) by a child above seven years of age but under twelve years of age who has not attained sufficient maturity of understanding to judge the nature and consequence of that act”.

3. The Culpability of Minors in Lagos State, South of Nigeria

Lagos State is legislatively ahead of all States in Nigeria. Lagos State often enacts innovative laws, that other States in Nigeria and the Federal Government of Nigeria emulate after some years.

Ahead of many (if not all) States in the Southern part of Nigeria, Lagos State was the first State to enact its own State Criminal Law, that departed from the Criminal Code that operated across the Southern part of Nigeria. The Criminal Law of Lagos State, introduced several innovative tools and processes.

On 8 August, 2011, Lagos State enacted the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011 and repealed the Criminal Code Law that was earlier in operation in Lagos State.

In Lagos State, a minor/child is a person that is less than 18 years old. However, only children that are less than 10 years old in Lagos State, have zero criminal responsibility for their criminal actions and inactions.

Hence, a child that is less than 10 years old in Lagos State, cannot be held responsible for any crime. The Criminal Law of Lagos State, unlike many other criminal laws in Nigeria, does not provide that the child should have or not have the capacity to understand the crime. It simply says that, a person below 10 years old has no criminal responsibility in Lagos State.

Section 30 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, provides; “A person under the age of ten (10) years is not criminally responsible for any act or omission.”

The focus on the ages below 10 years in Lagos State, means that although minors are from ages zero to less than 18, any minor that is 10 years or above will be fully responsible for his/her criminal actions.

5. Conclusion While minors are persons below 18 years old, not all minors are free from criminal responsibility in Nigeria. This work has traced the definition of minors through Federal and State laws. The location of a minor, affects the criminal responsibility of the minor. Some States have placed the age of zero criminal responsibility at seven and 10 years. Many States have also chosen 12 years as the possible age of zero criminal responsibility, with the condition that it must be proven that the child has no capacity to understand his/ her crime at the time of the crime.

Onyekachi Umah, Esq., LL.M, ACIArb (UK)

3.5.2022

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T H I S D AY ˾ DAY MAY 3, 2022

IMAGES

XIII Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: Mrs. Omodele Arowolo, the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Toritseju Yetunde Eyesan; and Chief Dele Arowolo during the wedding reception of the Eyesans in Ilorin, Kwara State...recently

L-R: National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sylvester Ezeokenwa; National Organising Secretary, APGA, Ifeanyi Mbaeri; National Vice Chairman, APGA, South East/ Enugu State governorship aspirant, Uche Nwegbo; National Youth Leader of the party, Chinedu Nebife, and Deputy National Secretary, Chief Godwin Udu, during the collection of Expression of Interest and nomination forms by the aspirant at the APGA national headquarters in Abuja…recently

L-R: Enyimba FC striker, Abel James; Hero Lager Brand Ambassador, Nkem Owoh; and Brand Manager, Hero Lager, Dubem Orji, during the presentation of Man of the Match prize to James after a match between Enyimba FC and Wikki Tourists in Aba Stadium, Abia State…recently

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Kings Celia Hotel and Suites, Gregg Ozuomba Mbadiwe; Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; a guest, Dr. Biodun Onalaja; and the celebrant, Dr. Doyin Okupe, during his 70th birthday in Lagos…recently

L-R: Public Education Officer, Airport Unit Command, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Kehinde Egbewole; representative of Pernod Ricard Nigeria, Nnenna Duru; Vice Chairman, Association of Limousine Shuttle Services of Nigeria, Prince Gabriel Ajuzia; and Deputy Public Enlightenment Officer, FRSC, Jesutomipe Mala, during the Pernod Ricard Safe Roads Campaign held to educate drivers on the dangers of alcohol misuse and safe practices while driving, held at the International Airport car park in Lagos...recently

L-R: Registrar of the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA), Prof Chris Onalo; Executive Assistant to the Registrar, Titilayo Jaiyesimi; President of ICA, Andy Ojei; Chairman, Kohinoor Hospitalities Limited, Collins Chikeluba; Deputy President/Deputy Chairman of ICA Governing Council, Mrs. Markie Idowu; and member, ICA Governing Council, Thomas Imokhai, during a courtesy visit of ICA Governing Council to Kohinoor Group in Lagos...recently PHOTO: DELE ONATADE

Former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki (middle), with female members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), when he met with PDP leaders to seek their support for his presidential aspiration in Abuja…recently

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FEATURES

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

Examining Society's Failure and Teenagers' Propensity to Crime Sadly, but true, there has been an increase in cases of rape, stealing, kleptomania, burglary, homicide and prostitution among teenagers in Nigeria. Going by the recent arrests of such juvenile delinquents nationwide, Fidelis David examines a society's failure to instil the right values and teenagers' propensity for crime buoyed by get-rich syndrome

Some juvenile delinquents arrested by Ondo State Police Command

N

o doubt, teenagers’ propensity to commit crimes for money in Nigeria today is increasingly alarming and disturbing, but can we say our society’s approval of moral laxity is a source of this malady?

Should we blame parents and guardians for failing in their responsibilities to bring up their children and wards uprightly? Or we should hold government responsible for failing to provide good leadership and governance? The effects of these cankerworms in our society are glaringly adverse.

Teenagers on the Rampage In what could be described as unbecoming in our society, on Thursday 14 April 2022, the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed 'Amotekun' paraded two juveniles who specialised in armed robbery at Ijare In Ifedore Local Government Area of the state.

Most disturbing was that the juvenile armed robbers adopted names of renowned notorious armed robbers in the country. They are, Timilehin Femi (Anini), 12 years; Ojo Sunday (Oyenusi) 16 years and 20 year-old Odeyemi Ayodele (Osumbor), who supplies them with guns.

Recall that Lawrence Nomanyakpon Anini was a Nigerian bandit who terrorised Benin city in the 1980s along with his sidekick, Monday Osunbor, while Ishola Oyenusi (popularly known as Dr. Ishola), was a notorious Nigerian armed robber, who was active during the 1970s.

The leader of the gang, 16-year-old Ojo Sunday, who claimed he was named Oyenusi by people in his neighbourhood in Ijare, Ifedore Local Council Area of the state, having discovered his prowess in robbery, said they were usually armed by Odeyemi Ayodele (20).

Timilehin Femi, also known as Anini, who was paraded with his mother, Iyabo Femi, said it was his mother who usually fortified him and his gang with charms so that they won’t be arrested.

Meanwhile, Odeyemi, who also adopted the name of a notorious armed robber, Monday Osumbor, who terrorised the old Bendel State, admitted that he only released the dane gun to the boys and not the double barrel rifle.

Parading the suspects at the headquarters of the corps in Akure, the Ondo State Commander of Amotekun, and Special Adviser(Security) to the state governor, Mr. Adetunji Adeleye said the suspects were arrested for armed robbery and terrorising residents of Akure, Ilara -mokin and Igbara-Oke. He said: "One of the three juveniles (Oyenusi) was arrested last year, taken to rehabilitation centre and was later released because of the age. His mother was arrested too because Oyenusi confessed to us that his mother has been the one preparing charms for him to prevent his downfall and arrest by security agents and his mother too has been a benefiting of proceeds from the crime.

"This time around, we will write to the Ministry of Justice for possible advise on what to do about them. But for their mothers who have been aiding them, they will be charged to court".

Adeleye explained that items recovered from them include guns, bullets, phones and money, stressing that they confessed to the crimes and will be charged to court soon.

It is difficult to get crime statistics related to teenagers crime in Nigeria, courtesy of poor record keeping system but recall that on January 29, 2022, three teenage boys were caught burning the head of a girl, said to be in a relationship with one of them, for money ritual in Oke Aregba area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The state police command named the

suspects as 17-year-old Wariz Oladeinde, 19-year-old Abdulgafar, 20-year-old Lukman and Mustakeem, all residents of Abeokuta.

Report has it that Soliu, who was the boyfriend of Rofiat had, with the aid of his friends strangled her, cut off her head and burnt same in a local pot, purportedly for money ritual, but luck ran out on the teenagers when a local community guard, Segun Adewusi, sighted their activities and reported to the police at Adatan.

Pronto, Nigerians who could not hide their feelings for the boys barbaric act took to social media to express their worries.

While some blamed parents and guardians for failing in their responsibilities to bring up their children and wards uprightly, others said it was a result of the dwindling value system in the country.

In January 2022, two teenagers were paraded in connection with the murder of Pastor Babatunde Dada of Chapel of Resurrection situated on 13 Road, 6th Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos.

Parading the teenagers simply identified as Farouk, 15, and Jamiu, 17, before journalists, the state police command explained that police eventually succeeded in arresting them in their hideouts in Ilorin, Kwara State, and FESTAC area.

According to the police, the suspects, who introduced themselves to Dada as musicians, stabbed him to death to steal his valuable and ran away, confessed that they killed Dada with a bottle and stick.

On March 18, 2022, an Abuja Upper

"Can we say our society’s approval of moral laxity is a source of this malady? Should we blame parents and guardians for failing in their responsibilities to bring up their children and wards uprightly? Or we should hold government responsible for failing to provide good leadership and governance?"

Area Court in the Gwagwalada Area Council sentenced a 19-year-old student, Hillary Yunana, to four months imprisonment for stealing spaghetti and noodles from a shop.

The prosecuting counsel, Abudulahi Tanko, told the court that the convict broke and entered the shop of one Gift Ugochukwu, on March 4. Tanko said the convict stole seven pieces of spaghetti, five pieces of noodles and a cash sum of N10,000, all valued at N13,000, an offence that contravened sections 346 and 287 of the Penal Code.

The convict was charged with burglary and theft and the judge, Sani Umar, jailed Yunana after he pleaded guilty to the offence. Umar, however, gave the convict an option to pay N10,000 for each of the charges, or serve a jail term of two months for each of them.

Also, on February 20, 2021, the Cross River State Police Command paraded a man, Okon Effiong, said to be the owner of the locally-made double barrel pistol seized from a 17-year-old female student of Government Secondary School, Ikot Ewa in Akpabuyo Council Area.

The girl, Promise Idorenyin, who was an SSII student and member of a local cult group, Sky Queen, was reported to have gone to school with the gun with an intention to shoot one of the teachers for insisting that she cut her coloured hairdo, and subsequently confessed that the gun was owned by her sexual partner, Effiong, a farmer with six children.

On March 5, 2022, the Kano State Police Command arrested an 18-year-old boy, Abdulsamad Suleiman, of Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters, Gwale, Kano, alongside an accomplice, Mu’azzam Lawan, 17, over the alleged murder of a housewife, Rukayya Jamilu, (21years).

The police spokesperson in state disclosed that at the end of discreet investigation, the principal suspect confessed that on February 12, 2022, around 4pm, he went to the house of the deceased and met her on the bed. He saw three mobile phones and took them.

Having realised that the housewife would recognise him, he used a wooden pestle to repeatedly hit her on her head, as well as hit her two children and disappeared with the mobile phones.

Moving back to the South-west, on October

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Some of the juvenile suspects 13, 2021, police in Osun State and local hunters busted an all female armed robbery gang in Osogbo. The suspects, who are all teenagers, were arrested after robbing a resident of an undisclosed amount of money, while eyewitnesses revealed that the girls, ranging between 14 and 16 years of age, were masterly in their operations Also, don't forget that baby factories where teens are kept and made to bear children for a token and the babies sold have become the order of the day and it will interest you to know that as shocking, immoral and unreligious as it may seem, some Nigerians still indulge in the act.

Parental Decadence in the 21st Century On parenting, a Senior Lecturer, Dept of Mass Communication, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo Dr Rahman Abubakri, asserted that parenting responsibility in Nigeria has not only fallen, but is dead, and has since been buried.

Abubakri said: "There is tremendous increase in the number of broken homes. Many of the criminal teenagers have single parents who can't afford to sponsor their education.

They easily drop out of school and invest in criminality. Though, the federal government has failed to adequately equip, train, re-train and motivate the Nigeria Police, so, the criminal- minded teenagers have noticed police laxity and decided to quickly exploit the opportunity to take hard drugs, rob, rape, kidnap and kill their victims for rituals.

"There is no more orientation of the young ones towards developing self-reliance spirit, get-reach syndrome is now on the high gear and the society gives too much regard to very reach ones whose sources of wealth are not questioned by the the state security agents as they too would want to have their own shares of the ill-gotten wealth due to very high level of poverty in the land."

Dr. Abubakri, who is also the Polytechnic's Director of Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES), noted that many more people, including the public and civil servants are being impoverished persistently by the state governments who decided not to pay the workers' salaries.

Symptomatic Materialism Also, Dr Raphael Olugbenga Abimbola, a Senior Lecturer, Dept of Mass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, posited that the increasing wave of the involvement of young minds and underaged in crime in our country is symptomatic of the materialism and morbid acquisition tendency that has become the order of the day in the present day Nigeria. This, he said, can be traced to Nigeria's culture of misplaced values where money is the sole factor to measure success.

He said: "Our political space has been monetised where winning election or getting political appointment is a gateway to get rich quick while the masses are impoverished. By

this, the minds of the young ones has been conditioned, sadly enough, that hard work does not pay but shortcut to wealth by all means fair or foul. That is why they now see nothing wrong in kidnapping for ransom, robbery, rituals and other criminal activities as long as they bring money believing the end justifies the means".

A Pastor, Kehinde Ogunkorode lamented that some parents go as much as taking their children to where they can learn Yahoo-Yahoo and get them fortified.

He stressed that It takes the grace of God, family background, and self-discipline for juveniles look away.

Drug Abuse among Teenagers The latest global estimates released by UNICEF indicate that about 5.5 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 64 years have used drugs at least once in the past year, while 36.3 million people, or 13 per cent of the total number of persons who use drugs, suffer from drug use disorders.

In Nigeria, with 14.4 per cent the drug use prevalence is significantly higher than the global average.

It indicated that a prevalence of 20–40 per cent and 20.9 per cent of drug abuse was reported among students and youths, respectively.

Commonly abused drugs include cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, diazepam, codeine, cough syrup and tramadol.

Even though there are many people who take alcohol on a daily basis, alcohol is usually abused at parties or any gathering, which involves youths and juveniles.

Findings revealed that on average every person in the world aged 15 years or older drinks 6.2 litres of pure alcohol per year.

Thriving Amoral Music Content Nowadays, hardly can one watch

a movie or music without finding scenes where drugs are being abused or nudity promoted.

Musicians also abuse drugs to conquer stage fright and suppress stress. But most Nigerians are seemingly comfortable with the lyrics and musical videos released for public consumption across the country.

Study shows that some of these songs and videos are rather vulgar, highly sensational and tend to promote drug abuse, nudity, internet fraud, domestic violence, and crime, just to mention but few.

Family Planning The most striking about crime committed by delinquents is that most couples procreate at a faster rate than rabbits without proper care.

Therefore, parent must be enlightened on the effects of unmet needs like starvation (food), parental care and affection on their children to enable them (parents) make adjustment.

Reno Omokri, popular author and former aide of ex- President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, once advised that couples must realise that marriage goes beyond just being a baby-making union; they must come to terms with this reality to avoid the wild desperation to have a child at all costs.

He said: "An adult male without money is already a problem to himself. If a woman marries him, they both become problems. If they have children while still broke, they create even more problems. So, to avoid a problem chain reaction, learn to make money legally.

"You need to be a money making machine before you start being a baby making machine.

Don’t increase the world’s population if you can’t first increase your own personal remuneration. It is disruptive to breed without having bread to feed those you breed", Omokri asserted.

Therefore, we all owe it a duty to help the security agencies and the government to arrest the situation and save our society from looming destruction.

Negative Image on Society Can we say that these acts of criminality by teenage Nigerians have negative image on our society? Absolutely yes! Suffice it to say that there are negative implications of this unabated crime by our teenagers, because it gives Nigeria negative perceptions and soils our image in other climes but has the law

"We need a multiple approach mechanism whereby we first re-orientate our minds from materialism and make political offices less attractive. Most importantly, our laws must be made superior to any individual whether high or low, so offenders can hardly escape punishment, which would serve as deterrent to others"

enforcement agencies, put up strategies to control the ugly trend?

Way Forward As posited by Dr Rahman Abubakri, "Ministries of Social Development and Orientation at the state and federal levels should conduct research into the growing rate of broken homes and establish a structure that will give succour to jobless single parents, teach values to the young ones through the mass media and empower the parents and the children through vocational training centers, so that they can have legitimate economic sources of income.

"Aside these, state governments should pay workers salaries regularly as a way of feeding the informal sectors of the economy", he added.

On the part of Dr Raphael Abimbola, to address this, "we need a multiple approach mechanism whereby we first re-orientate our minds from materialism and make political offices less attractive. Most importantly, our laws must be made superior to any individual whether high or low, so offenders can hardly escape punishment, which would serve as deterrent to others."

A Social Worker, Mathias Taiwo averred that wards who lack parental care and attention mostly find succour in whatever can fill the vacuum and such may end up engaging in unconditional acts.

According to her, "children need proper attention because there are many things going on around them that can make them go astray but if there is a strong bond between them and their parents, it might be difficult for them to engage in delinquency".

Also, the Nigeria Police Force must strengthen its special branches, including Juvenile Welfare Centres (JWC) and Anti-Human Trafficking Unit that handle cases of child trafficking and such other exploitation of women and children.

Government should provide employment opportunities for youths, greater thought should be given to setting up more amenities in the rural areas, stoppage of pornographic films and some American films, where our teenagers learn techniques in stealing and destroying properties.

A divorce is an unpleasant thing that can translate into several issues, where children may often have to grow up with only one parent and may suffer from this by engaging in criminality, so that factor must be thoroughly considered except in life-threatening situations.

On a final note, education coupled with empowerment are some of the tool that can be used to reduce the rate of criminal delinquents. Meanwhile, given that the rate of poverty and illiteracy is too high, kids who should be at school but have ended up on the streets like Timilehin Femi (Anini), Ojo Sunday (Oyenusi) and Odeyemi Ayodele (Osumbo), should be re-absorbed.

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MAY 3, 2022

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT ‘Complete Transformation of Society Necessary to Halve Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030’ Bennett Oghifo

A

new report from the International Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, calls for an immediate and complete transformation of every sector of society, stating that only then will it be possible to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

But this massive undertaking hinges on greatly improved management of water, explain SIWI’s Dr Malin. Lundberg-Ingemarsson and Josh Weinberg in a comment.

“It is now or never,” said the co-chair Professor Jim Skea when he presented the findings of the third working group contributing to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report at a press conference on 4 April.

Sixth Assessment Report The working group has reviewed the science on mitigation strategies and shared two main messages. First of all, Skea and colleagues emphasized the urgency. Greenhouse gas emissions must peak already in 2025 and be halved by 2030 if we are to have any chance of reaching the 1.5 degrees Celsius aspirational goal of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. Second, they believe that this is still possible, and point to already existing solutions within every sector of society. But to make this happen, we must be not only carbon-smart but also water-wise, note Dr Malin Lundberg-Ingemarsson and Josh Weinberg.

This is because many of the transformations highlighted in the IPCC report depend upon access to water or will have a significant impact on freshwater ecosystems. Some potential

climate solutions could face real problems if plans fail to assess water risks. “With so little time left to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming, we just have to get things right. Climate scientists warn that global warming has a massive impact on the water cycle, and we need to start talking about this. Most analyses of emerging technologies, management options, or new habits assume that we will have access to the same amount of freshwater as today, but for most places, this will not be the case.” Here are some of the most critical water aspects to consider: Energy production. Despite the recent energy crisis, the IPCC report expresses optimism for the future. Unit costs of renewable energy are now falling fast – for solar energy by as much as 85 percent since 2010 – and electrification is occurring at breakneck speed. Wind and solar

photovoltaic systems also use considerably less water than fossil fuel power plants. But many energy sources – like hydropower, bioenergy, and thermal energy generation from nuclear power – require substantial amounts of water.

Access to freshwater could turn out to be a constraint with the growing demand for water and increasing scarcity found in many parts of the world.

Food and agriculture. IPCC has previously warned that global warming is already impacting global food production and the new report calls for profound changes along the food value chains, addressing both producers and consumers. This would have enormous implications for water since agriculture is the world’s greatest water user and improved water management is crucial for progress and food security.

SHCJ Takes Possession of Land Title at Intercontinental Park Lekki Bennett Oghifo The Catholic Church Society for Holy Child Jesus SHCJ has taken Possession of their Land title at the Intercontinental Park Estate at Ibeju Lekki.

The Presentation Ceremony was held at the Catholic Mission by the Head of Operations for AIMART Realtors Mrs Bright Taiwo to the Head of Real Estate for the Society: Reverend Sister Christianah Olagunju and her

Colleague Reverend Sister Juliana Onyeoke.

Earlier in the Year at the Ground Breaking Ceremony, Mrs. Bright had Received the Allotment Certificate on behalf of the Society from Mrs. Iluyomade

L-R: Omorinsola Oladekojo of the Marketing Department of Aimart; Rev. Sis Christianah Olagunju; Rev Sis Juliana Onyeoke from the Society for Holy Child Jesus; and Head of Operation AIMART, Mrs Bright Taiwo, during the presentation of the Certificate of Allotment Intercontinental Park At Ibeju Lekki, Lagos to SJHC… recently

and had to Deliver it to SHCJ to enable them take Lawful Possession of the Land.

Intercontinental Park Ibeju Lekki is a Mixed Zone Estate. According to the CEO of AIMART Mrs. Bukola Iluyomade “Intercontinental Park is a world-class hub for social, economic, business, religious and recreational activities, within the Ibeju-Lekki axis after Eleko Junction; it falls under the Origanrigan Resettlement Scheme. It is a few minutes’ drive after Dangote Refinery and bordered within a cluster of 5(five) residential areas which are the Dangote Residents, Alaro-City, Amen Estate, Heritage Meadow, and Rehoboth Ocean View Estate. It is part of a hub with multiple streams of income flowing in within a layout of about 28 Acres (approximately 139,000sq. meters) of Land which has in it, the central business district habouring the maritime school,

hospitals, schools (which holy child has keyed into), hospitality, residential apartments, and resort centers.

After receiving the certificate the Head of Real Estate and the former Auditor, Reverend Sister Olagunju recounted the reasons why they chose to invest in Intercontinental Park instead of the other estates in the Neighbourhood.

“We chose this company after i got to know them through a doctor. When we needed support for land, she introduced our Provincial Sister Philomena and her team to them.... I met with an agent but insisted on meeting with the owners of the company.

“The reason I requested to see them was because the price was too high for me as God will have it to the glory of God after talking to the chairman and preaching for him, knowing that God comes first not money. He beat down

the price to what we can afford ...

When I met the chairman, I could tell from what he said that he is a trustworthy man and he gave me a listening ear and made sure we were both comfortable with decisions made. That was how we got the land at Intercontinental Park, Ibeju-Lekki. Our plan is to build a school there.”

She thanked the promoters of the project and promised to physically take over the site soon.

The estate claims to be amongst the best in terms of ambiance, spotlight, and developmental delivery. It is conceived as an eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable gated community offering exceptional facilities and services that will foster qualitative living, better health, improved communal relationships, and social engagement within the most affordable and costeffective means. Intercontinental Parks holds full land title with Certificate of Occupancy.

Abumet Upscales to Higher Quality Standards, Receives ISO 9001 Abumet, aluminium and glass service provider and a member of the Julius Berger Plc Group, has been presented with the ISO 9001: 2015 Certification.

The ISO 9001:2015 certificate, which was presented to the company on Wednesday the 27th of April, 2022, is the international gold standard for business practices and quality management, and is only obtainable through thorough and comprehensive technical audits. The audit was carried out by DQS Management Systems Solutions, a globally renowned and leading quality management systems (QMS) certification body reputed for premium international standard benchmarking, technical impartiality, competence, responsibility, openness, and impeccable ethical business practices.

As an initiative of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), one of the key philosophies of ISO Certifications is to provide an international model that will broadly improve every aspect of businesses and organisations worldwide, with a view to enhance customer satisfaction and guarantee a proper return on investment for business

stakeholders. The ISO 9001:2015 is especially focused on businesses and organisations’ ability to withstand a wide range of business risks through effective quality management systems.

In an interview, after handing over the certificate to Abumet, the Country Director, DQS Nigeria, Mr. Lawrence Ogudu expressed DQS’ satisfaction with the quality systems that Abumet has in place to meet customers’ requirements. He explained that, “the ISO 9001: 2015 is at the height of management systems because it puts in place the superstructure for every management system, and this certification is for Abumet a clear statement that it has implemented a management system to ensure that it can deliver quality to its customers consistently.”

Lawrence Ogudu further stated that “Abumet has put in place an effective and efficient process which enables it to determine customers’ requirements”, adding that “Abumet possesses the knowhow, the infrastructure, and the competent personnel required to consistently fulfil these requirements at all times.

Of course, business is about

meeting customers’ requirements, and when customers are satisfied, there is trust, which is what quality is all about.”

On his part, Abumet’s General Manager, Mr. Alexander Hausner described the feat as, “a big milestone in terms of improvement to the entire company, in every single department, coordinating interfaces and the improvement of quality”. Hausner further said that: “…in terms of customer services, the ISO 9001 not only demonstrates our ability but is also an excellent guideline for constant improvement of customer satisfaction regarding quality and reliability.”

Abumet’s General Manager ascribed their success to a dedicated staff and committed management team whose collaborative efforts brought about the milestone achievement. In his words, “…the responsibility for the success belongs to the entire company, we all worked hard to get the certification, and every personnel of the company followed the rules of the ISO 9001 accordingly.

Therefore, as I said, it is a big success for the entire company and not only the management.

For every single member of Abumet, this is a big success

and we are all very proud of the achievement.”

Commenting on the ISO certification of Abumet, Engr.

Emeka Ejike, who is the Corporate Quality Manager for the Julius Berger Group, explained that the company’s excitement about this certification is not limited to the certificate itself, but summed up in the customer satisfaction that comes along with it.

According to Ejike, “Abumet in its 31 years of operation has had outstandingly dynamic

management processes in place to guarantee its commitment to the satisfaction of its clients.

The ISO certification further consolidates this commitment, as well as reinforces the company’s assurance of consistency in superior performance.”

Narrating the efforts towards the certification Emeka Ejike said, “the journey to this laudable achievement began about 14 months ago when we applied for the certification and had to reorganise the processes and systems at various levels

of the organisation, which include the management process, documentation, product realisation, business and operational support, management system maintenance and improvement processes, etcetera”. Emeka added that “…with this strategic certification, Abumet, as a dynamic offspring of the iconic Julius Berger brand, shall continue to maintain the Julius Berger group’s corporate tradition of excellence and progressively build on what it has achieved.”

L-R: Julius Berger’s Corporate Quality Manager, Emeka Ejike; Abumet’s Commercial Manager, Abubakar Auwal; Abumet’s General Manager, Alexander Hausner; DGS Nigeria’s Country Director, Ogudu Lawrence; Abumet’s Operations Manager, Erhardt Markus; and Julius Berger’s Head of Corporate Communications, James Agama, during the presentation to Abumet of its ISO 9001 Certification in Abuja Nigeria… recently

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

23

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

REPO

A T

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

08056356325

M A Y

S & P INDEX

2 , 2 0 2 2

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

6.50%

CALL

10.75%

INDEX LEVEL

610.44%

1/4 TO DATE

– 1.31%

N416.75/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

7.17%

1-MONTH

9.66%

1-DAY

0.03%

YEAR TO DATE

7.13%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

1028%

MONTH-TO-DATE

– 1.31%

Again, Nigeria Cuts Oil Production Losses from Sabotage, Assets’ Breakdowns, Force Majeure in March

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Nigeria recorded significantly less oil production losses in the February/ March drilling cycle, with shutdowns arising from sabotage, force majeure, crude production assets’ breakdowns and community issues markedly down to 1.69 million barrels for the entire month.

Force majeure refers to a clause in contracts that allows both parties to walk out of the contract when an

extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties happens.

The figure is a major improvement on the January 2022 high of 7.5 million barrels lost to the phenomena, a development that has negatively impacted the country’s capacity to export the commodity.

The government did not explain the reasons behind the declining numbers, but it had recently ordered a crackdown on oil theft in the Niger

Delta by deploying the military in the region.

Over a week ago, in furtherance of Operation Dakatar Da Barawo (OPDDB) that was launched to checkmate crude oil theft and related acts of economic sabotage, the Nigerian Navy said it had seized 6, 000, 000 litres of stolen crude oil estimated at N264 billion.

However, THISDAY can report that the new data released by the Nigerian National Petroleum

Company (NNPC) Limited, in its April presentation to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) was compiled before the latest onslaught.

Nigeria has for months been unable to meet the production quota allocated to it by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) due to losses to facilities’ breakdown, vandalism and outright sabotage as well as community issues.

The menace has further impacted

on government institutions as well as individual operators who have recently raised the alarm over the humongous losses the nation and private entities are being subjected to.

Among those who have raised the alarm over the situation in recent times were the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, Chairman, Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Mr Abdulrasaq Isa and the management of Aiteo

Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCO), operators of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) pipeline, one of the most impacted by the activities of vandals.

Also adding their voices to draw attention to the negative impact of the menace were the Founder Heirs Holdings ltd, Mr Tony Elumelu, Co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Continued on page 24

Stakeholders List Barriers to LPG Growth in Nigeria, Seek Massive Funding Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Stakeholders in the oil and gas industry have listed several hindrances to the growth of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Nigeria and Africa in general, maintaining that deploying massive funding for gas infrastructure could transform the economy.

Speaking at the 2nd Annual Virtual LPG workshop organised

by the African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA), Executive Director, Rainoil Limited, Emmanuel Omuojine, advocated that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could add up to $1 billion annually just by optimising flared gas.

He listed sub-optimal infrastructure; poor roads for transportation, significant gas processing infrastructure deficit

and obsolete pipelines as some of the problems besetting the sector.

In addition, the oil and gas expert highlighted limited berthing facilities and domestic equipment manufacturing, foreign exchange for import of LPG and related equipment as well as regulatory and policy frameworks as barriers to LPG penetration in the country.

He explained that Nigeria requires about $750 million investment in LPG

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

transport and retailing infrastructure across the country to achieve the target of 5 Million metric tonnes annual consumption.

According to him, by investing in gas adoption and utilisation, an estimate of over $27 million per year would be generated by switching 50 per cent of kerosene and firewood users to LPG. He called for an effective public enlightenment and sensitisation

SIZE

PRICE

STATE

100KG JIGAWA

advocacy on health and cost benefits to drive penetration while enforcing effective penalties for emissions as well as rewarding global warming reductions.

Executive Secretary of ARDA, Anibor Kragha, in his remarks, said that LPG remains the fastest-growing petroleum product in Sub- Saharan Africa, noting that the per capita LPG consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa is however the lowest in the world.

He argued that although SubSaharan Africa accounted for 14.4 per cent of world’s population, it has less than 1 per cent of global LPG consumption, listing finance and infrastructure as key to growing the sector.

Also speaking, the Acting Director, Research, Monitoring & Evaluation at Ghana’s National Continued on page 24

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

24

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 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

N9,500

40KG DELTA

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

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N9000

100KG ENUGU

N24000

100KG DELTA

N15000

100KG ABIA

N14000

50KG LAGOS

N13500

SIZE

MAIZE

US Seeks Collaboration with NUPRC, Commits to Funding of Gas Infrastructure Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has paid a visit to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) with a commitment to work with the agency in the area of infrastructure funding.

The visit came amid pressure from the European Union (EU) on Nigeria to ramp up its

gas supply to the European continent, recently visiting the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Mele Kyari.

The visit to the GMD also came days after EU ambassadors paid a similar visit to the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, apparently in a bid to pressure the country

to raise its gas production.

Since the Russia-Ukraine war started, Europe, and to some extent, America, have called on Nigeria to increase gas supply even though the country has been unable to increase production and supply despite its over 206tcf of proven gas, due to underinvestment and inadequate infrastructure.

But led by it’s Regional

Director, Sub-Sahara Africa, Heather Lanigan and three senior officials of USTDA, according to a statement from the NUPRC, the United States promised to work with Nigeria to increase its production capacity.

The visit, it stated, was a follow-up to ongoing discussions between the agency and the commission from the recently concluded

CERA Week in the United States as the country seeks for collaboration in areas of mutual interests between the two agencies.

The officials informed the Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, that the “USTDA was willing to collaborate with NUPRC in area’s of technical expertise development and funding for critical oil and gas

infrastructure in key areas of the upstream sector,” the short statement said.

In his response, Komolafe thanked the delegation for the visit and reassured USTDA of NUPRC’s support and collaboration towards the sustainable development of Nigeria’s huge oil and gas resources, “in overriding interest of our nation and all stakeholders.”

Rising Oil Prices: Total to Deploy Cash to Renewables Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja French oil major, TotalEnergies, plans to use part of its cash bonanza generated from surging hydrocarbon prices to speed up investment in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects and renewables.

But despite the phenomenal growth by oil firms and countries producing the commodity, almost all the

economic induces in Nigeria are tottering as the country has continued to embark on a borrowing spree.

“This might be an opportunity to accelerate the transition,” TotalEnergies Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said after the company reported its firstquarter profits rose threefold as oil and gas prices surged. If we move, it will be primarily

in either the LNG fields, and/ or in electricity and renewables, ”he said.

European nations are trying to find alternative supplies to Russian oil and gas and accelerate the shift toward renewables as President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbates the continent’s energy crisis.

“I’m not a very big fan of very large-scale acquisitions,”

because integration is important, Pouyanne said. He added that the company’s multibillion purchases of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S’s oil and gas unit, as well as some of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s Mozambique assets in recent years “were well done.”

The company is also using some of its first-quarter cash flow to reduce debt, increase shareholders returns, and make additional investments

to support short-term gas production in the North Sea. TotalEnergies will spend near $15 billion this year — up from $13.3 billion in 2021 — a quarter of which will be invested in renewable energy and power projects.

The $15-billion spend for this year will be capped, Pouyanne said, meaning that any large acquisition would be offset by divestments, a Bloomberg

report indicated.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has continued to benefit from a price surge in the past year, first due to demand recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and then to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Saudi Arabia’s economy grew at the fastest pace in more than a decade in the first quarter-riding on booming oil prices and rising production.

Katchey Laboratories Receives ISO 17025 Accreditation Oluchi Chibuzor As part of an effort to boost trade and redefine the analytical space in the continent, Katchey Laboratories Limited has announced it recently joined the league of the elite analytical laboratories across the world by attaining ISO 17025 accreditation.

In view of this, the firm revealed it is set to commission its new state-of-the-art testing

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Deputy Business Editor Chinedu Eze Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) KayodeTokede(CapitalMarkets) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

facility that would become the nation’s first international accredited independent analytical laboratory.

Speaking at a recent precommissioning event held in Lagos, the CEO of Katchey Laboratories Limited, Mrs. Kate Isa, said the laboratory complex was born out of the need to raise the bar in the analytical space in Africa.

She also said that the laboratory would provide reliable and quality results to inspire confidence to encourage trade across the continent, especially with the advent of AfCFTA. According to her, Katchey Laboratories was built as a one-stop shop for all analytical needs, catering to a wide range of analytical

service areas, including: Life Sciences; Pharmaceutical, Food and Beverage; Agribusiness, Oil and Gas; Environmental, Forensic, Mining and Extractive Industries, Educational, Research and Development.

For the CEO of Bloom Public Health, Professor Chimezie Anyakora, the laboratory would support trade and public safety.

“Beyond providing quality results, this lab will achieve much for the country by helping boost the confidence of Nigerians, both in international commerce, to export their Katchey-Laboratories-certified products globally, with confidence; and internally, to inspire a crop of analysts and scientists.

“Now that the bar of

quality has been raised, I hope other labs will start striving to achieve world class status too. A lab of this scale and quality requires a massive investment, and it is my hope that both local and international clients patronize this laboratory so that more people will be encouraged to invest in the lab space,” he said.

AGAIN, NIGERIA CUTS OIL PRODUCTION LOSSES FROM SABOTAGE, ASSETS’ BREAKDOWNS, FORCE MAJEURE IN MARCH Seplat Energy Plc, Mr Austin Avuru and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector has struggled in the last one year, due to deteriorating facilities occasioned by waning investment as well as oil theft, sabotage and community issues.

With an average oil price for the month of February/March at over $100, it is estimated that the country may have lost as much as $170 million to the menace during the period under review. That would be the least loss recorded in a long time.

Recently, THISDAY reported

that a combination of huge oil pipeline repair cost and high-level theft of crude oil was bleeding out the Nigerian economy, with losses amounting to at least $29 billion in the last six years, spanning between 2015 and 2021.

In February 2021, the NNPC Limited had said the country lost an average of 200,000 barrels per day of its crude oil production to saboteurs and illegal pilfering by criminals.

Partly due to under-production, the NNPC has failed to remit its statutory funding of the Federation Account, a joint pool collectively operated by the federal, state and local governments since the

beginning of this year despite the rising international prices of oil.

This would be the third time in less than a year that the company would be unable to deliver a kobo to the joint account, following the same occurrence in April last year, when the firm announced zero remittance for the month.

A THISDAY review of data in recent months showed that while losses in September 2021 rose to 7.1 million barrels, it was 5.2 million barrels in October of the same year while in November it was a 6.36 million barrels loss to the aforementioned issues.

Furthermore, in December 2021, the losses recorded from force

majeure, facilities’ breakdowns, sabotage as well as disagreements with host communities amounted to 4.82 million barrels, before peaking in January at 7.5 million barrels.

But it was observed that in February the number fell to 2.21 million barrels, while it fell further in March to 1.69 million barrels.

Although there was an over 200 per cent reduction in losses, but some terminals still suffered.

With eight incidents during the month under review, Odudu terminal experienced the highest loss of 937,663 barrels occasioned by maintenance work on the facility as well as Ima while Okwori was shut due to power shortage.

In addition, production was curtailed at Jones Creek, to the tune of 327,000 barrels due to funding challenges while Brass lost 180,000 barrels as a result of a leakage at the manifold as well as pressure build-up.

At the Ukpokiti terminal 210, 000 barrels were lost due to a fire incident leading to the shutdown of the facility for 26 days, while Excravos shed 21,009 barrels die to a breach of one of its pipelines , a major improvement from recent shutdowns.

Also, Ajapa shed 9,000 barrels, Aje lost 11,000 barrels, Forcados lost a meagre 997, while Bonga shed 184 barrels.

STAKEHOLDERS LIST BARRIERS TO LPG GROWTH IN NIGERIA, SEEK MASSIVE FUNDING Petroleum Authority (GNPA), Joseph Wilson, noted that LPG has been exceptionally placed to act as a “bridging fuel” which would minimise environmental impacts.

He explained that this will satisfy energy needs, where over 850 million on the continent still rely on tradition biomass for cooking.

According to him, the adoption of LPG remains a key means for the reduction of over 500,000 premature deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa due to indoor air pollution, considering that the technological solutions that currently exist to deal with indoor air pollution are costly and would take time to take effect.

“Private sector involvement in clean cooking remains highly fragmented, because a majority of clean cooking companies are small scale and face difficulties in accessing adequate funding.

“Business can take advantage of Clean Cooking Fund to help address these problems by providing

result-based finance, grants and technical assistance to organisations that offer innovative solutions to accelerating deployment of clean cooking solutions,” he said.

In his remarks, Executive Director at Citac Africa, James McCullough, listed the cost of cylinder, burner, regulator, stove, hose among others

as impediments to LPG adoption.

McCullough said that subsidy, reduced tax, Pay As You Go (PAYG) options, expansion of LPG infrastructure in rural communities as key issues in the sector, noting that beyond price, awareness campaigns and advertising are critical to ensuring uptake of LPG.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

25

BUSINESSWORLD

INDUSTRY

The Demise of Nigerian Textile Industry The Nigerian textile industry is clearly heading toward extinction unless urgent measures are launched and implemented by the federal government, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

T

he Nigerian textile industry appeared to be having its last decade and may go into extinction in 2030. If this happens, it would not be the first time the federal government under the current democratic dispensation would fold its hands and watch a strategic segment of the country’s industrial sector slide into oblivion. It has happened with the tyre manufacturing industries that collapsed in the first decade of this century. It has also happened with the paper industry about a decade ago. And the inglorious trend of industrial closure is about to happen in the country’s textile and garment industrial sector.

On Friday, April 22, the Director General of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturing Association, Mr. Hamma A. Kwajaffa, was in a pensive mood when THISDAY called to inquire about the state of the industrial sector. Kwajaffa told THISDAY that the textile sub-sector of the Nigerian industrial landscape is currently on life support as it is gasping to remain afloat.

He said that some operators in the sub-sector are shutting down their textile plants as a result of their inability to remain in operation due to lack of access to the domestic market because Nigerian fabrics are too expensive to compete with cheap imported textile fabrics.

Today, Nigeria, which used to boast of nearly 200 textile mills does not have up 20 mills that are still in operation. Moreover, the sector that used to employ 500,00 workers in its heyday no longer boosts up to 20,000 workers.

Moreover, the industry has not been able to attract new investors for decades even though a study carried out by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) titled “Vision 2015 for Cotton, Textile and Garment Industry Nigeria,” stated that the textile industry has been

shifting from developed to developing and less developed countries that have embarked on strategic policies to support the development of their textile industry. These countries that have been giving high priority to the textile industry, according to UNIDO, were China and India as well as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso.

FABRIC SEGMENT

In the fabric segment of the Nigerian textile industry, some of the companies that were operational as at the first quarter of 2022 included the Sunflag Industries, Woolen and Synthetic Textile Manufacturing Limited, African Textile Mills, Funtua Textiles, and the Nichemtex Group.

Also, some notable players in the bag segment of the industry are Dangote Agrosack, Mamuda Sacks, Nigeria Bags Manufacturing, and the Northern Bags. Moreover, Haffar Industrial Company Limited is still in operation in the thread manufacturing segment.

Currently, imported fabrics and clothing materials are projected to control more than 95 per cent of Nigeria’s textile market. This reality was brought home by a recent trade statistics that was released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The report, which was titled “Commodity Price Indices and Terms of Trade,” showed that textile is today the number one imported product into the country. This is in spite of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) removal of textile import from the official foreign exchange window to discourage its importation and motivate consumption of local products.

But rather than reducing its importation, the NBS trade statistics showed that textile materials were the highest items that accounted

for the country’s import index in 2021. The bureau estimated that the value of imports in 2020 was N19.89 trillion, having grown by 17.32 per cent year-on-year from 2019 to 2020 as imports stood at N16.96 trillion in 2019.

The NBS said: “The all-commodity group import index on average increased by 0.47 per cent. The highest increase was recorded by textile and textile articles, followed by boilers, machinery and appliances, parts thereof and wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal and articles.”

NUTGTWN TAKES ACTION

The report of the NBS riled up the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), that the union’s Acting Secretary General, Mr. Ali Baba, wrote a letter dated April 14, 2022, and titled “Request for Urgent Meeting of the Union on the State of the Industry,” to NTMA. Baba said in the letter that, “the union is really disturbed by the depressing state of the industry in spite of our efforts and actions for its revitalisation.

“We are even more worried about the latest report released by the NBS as contained in most national dailies of April 14, 2022, which indicated that textile materials unacceptably topped the list of the country’s imported commodities in 2021.”

He recalled that at the NUTGTWN’s 86th Central Working Committee (CWC) on March 31, 2022, in Lagos, the issue of the state of the industry formed a major part of its discussion.

The union also recalled that it has issued a press release as part of its broad campaign for the revival of the textile industry in Nigeria, calling for urgent measures by the government

to address the critical challenges undermining the growth and prospects of the sector.

The NUTGTWN, therefore, proposed to the NTMA as partners in progress that “recent development has necessitated the need for an urgent meeting between the union and the employers’ association to discuss and ascertain the true state of the industry and agree on far-reaching measures to advance our joint campaign for complete resuscitation of the industry and creation of mass decent employment.”

Kwajaffa told THISDAY that the federal government should tackle the smuggling of textile materials while ensuring that legitimate importers are made to pay the exact duties and levies. This would help to secure the domestic market for Nigeria’s textile.

He also said that the government should establish textile industrial parks to address infrastructural problems; resolve the issues of raw material by using specific initiatives for cotton production like BT Cotton and the creation of a cotton buyers’ centre.

He would also want the government to improve the investment climate through the provision of fiscal regimes via the removal of taxes on equipment and inputs.

MAKING INDUSTRY COMPETITIVE

Kwajaffa noted that Ethiopia made its textile industry to become competitive, even in the international markets, through the establishment of Textile Park, which brought all the textile firms in the country to one location where they were provided with the infrastructural facilities they needed to boom their business.

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

26

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

ECONOMY

Nigeria’s Path to Irreversible Industrial Revolution Eromosele Abiodun posits that the enabling environment provided by the administration of President Muhanmadu Buhari, which birthed the Dangote Refinery, $2.5 billion Dangote Fertilizer Plant, Lekki Deep Sea Port amongst others, has put Nigeria on the path of industrial revolution

A

fter years of grappling in the dark, Nigeria is now on the path of irreversible industrial revolution, thanks to Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote and his massive petroleum refinery, $2.5 billion Dangote Fertilizer Plant.

The 650,000 BPD refinery located in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos will be extremely beneficial to Nigeria when it begins production.

The refinery, experts say, would stimulate economic development in Nigeria, meet 100 per cent of the Nigerian requirement of all liquid products (Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene and Aviation jet), and also have surplus of each of these products for export.

That is not all, the scale and size of the massive facility is mind blowing. The Pipeline Infrastructure at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is the largest anywhere in the world, with 1,100 kilometers to handle 3 Billion Standard Cubic Foot of gas per day. The Refinery alone has a 400MW Power Plant that is able to meet the total power requirement of Ibadan DisCo. The refinery, which is due to commence operation later in the year would also impact positively on the Nigerian economy through conserving of foreign exchange and massive job creation.

Aside the refinery, there is also the $2.5 billion Dangote Fertilizer Plant recently inaugurated

by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Urea Plant, located at the Lagos Free Trade Zone, within the periphery of the Dangote Refinery currently under construction, is promoted by the Africa’s global enterprise, Dangote Industries Limited. Of significant importance is the timing of the inauguration. The plant would be pumping a fresh 3 million tonnes of granulated Urea into the country and the world supply amid the impact of increasing prices in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war.

With the current economic malaise facing Nigeria and which has decimated foreign exchange intake, the Dangote Fertiliser would be reversing an unsavoury trend in Nigeria’s balance of trade in which hundreds of millions of dollars is expatriated on fertilizer import annually.

FG’S OPTIMISM It was in recognition this that a federal government delegation lead by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed with some select journalists went on a tour of the facility recently.

Speaking during tour, Lai Mohammed praised president Buhari for providing the enabling environment for bunisses to thrive.

He 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.

Mohammed, who described the 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 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 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

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Executice Director, Strategy Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Group, Mr Devakumar Edwin, during a tour of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical plant and Dangote Fertilizer plant located in Ibeju Lakki, Lagos with some select journalists 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.

FOOD, ENERGY SECURITY 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 Executive 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.

“Even after the end of the colonial era, we can see how copper, cobalt, iron ore, uranium, diamond, etc. are all exported and the finished products are imported back into the continent. Even the diamonds from South Africa have to be taken to Netherlands or Belgium to cut and polish before being sold back to South Africa.

“In Nigeria, we have been facing a similar problem. We have two major resources – natural gas and crude oil. Our country’s natural gas is liquefied and exported and, finished products such as urea and other petrochemicals are being imported into the country. It is also the same case with the crude oil being exported and the finished products being imported back. As my chairman Alhaji Aliko Dangote often says, “We are exporting employment and importing poverty.” Hence, he decided to add value to these two resources – natural gas and crude oil, within Nigeria, by constructing the Fertiliser Plant and the Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Complex, “he said.

He added that the Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemical Plant and the Fertiliser plant will ensure the generation of huge direct and indirect employment.

The facility, he added, will have a huge value addition within the country, thus contributing to the increase in the GDP.

SAVING FOREIGN EXCHANGE He said, “It will stop the drainage of Foreign Exchange towards importation of the finished products. These two plants will ensure generation of substantial amount of Foreign Exchange, through export of finished products. The import substitution and export revenue will contribute very substantially to the stability of the currency.

“The petroleum refinery will ensure Fuel Security for the country and the fertiliser plant will contribute towards Food Security for the country. These two plants will ensure the constant availability of the products (often we run short of petroleum products and, the imported fertiliser

always arrive at the wrong season/time).”

He added, “These two plants will ensure the availability of the highest quality products- all our refined petroleum products will be of Euro V grade, which is the highest quality available in the world today whereas, the petroleum products currently imported are of Afri-III grade or even lower. We used to import prilled urea whereas now we are manufacturing granulated urea which will not agglomerate/cake causing loss of value to the farmers.”

He added that the massive investments in the country, especially by a Nigerian investor, will attract foreign capital investments into the country.

“How will a foreign investor have the courage to come to the country to invest, if they see Nigerians shying away from investing in their own country? We have always been pioneers.

Our investment in the sugar refinery brought in two other investors into the sugar refinery business. Our investment in cement encouraged Lafarge to expand and BUA to invest in cement manufacturing. Long back, our investments in flour Mills and Pasta industries brought in many other investors into these industries. The above are a few of the benefits the country will derive, in addition to many other benefits, “he stated.

Speaking specifically on the refinery, he said it is the world’s Largest Single Train Petroleum Refinery with 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refining Capacity and 900,000 tonnes per annum Polypropylene plant.

The facility he stated has a 435 Mega Watts Power Plant adding that the refinery is designed to maximise gasoline production – 53 per cent of the production capacity, compared to most of the refineries in the world which produce 20 per cent to 25 per cent gasoline.

“We have made huge capital investments to extract maximum value from every barrel of crude which is going in.

The petroleum refinery can meet 100 per cent of the requirements of Nigeria, of all the liquid products - Gasoline (PMS), Diesel (AGO), Kerosene (DPK) and Aviation Jet Fuel (Jet A-1).

While 60 per cent of the production of this petroleum refinery can meet the entire requirement of Nigeria, the rest 40 per cent will go for export, generating huge amount of foreign exchange, “the Executive Director, Strategy Capital Projects and Portfolio Development said.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

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AGRICULTURE

Nurturing Cassava Seed Entrepreneurs The quest for food security is an onerous task amid Covid-19, climate change, harsh operating environment and the likes. Gilbert Ekugbe explores the recent field trips conducted by IITA on how the GIZ-funded cassava and maize value chain project has impacted the lives of Cassava Seed Entrepreneurs

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here is no gainsaying that Nigeria is the highest producer of cassava globally, but the same cannot be said in terms of yield (tonnes per hectare).

Nigeria is still struggling to produce about 8 tonnes per hectare due to poor performing seeds despite its potential to produce 40 tonnes per hectare. Hence the need to adopt a new seed system cannot be overemphasized.

The GIZ-funded Cassava and Maize Value Chain project, which ends in 2022, was developed in response to the Covid 19 pandemic that affected the value chains of several crops, including cassava, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, women and youth that depend on the root crop for survival.

In the past 18 months, the Project has built resilience in the cassava seed system and put smiles on the faces of farmers by establishing an economically sustainable seed system. Sixty farmers are now growing improved cassava varieties ready to be deployed to the market for sale and further stem multiplication.

Far away in Okelopa Sotubo, Shagamu Local Government Area in Ogun State, Mrs. Temitope Esther Solomon, a beneficiary of the Project, is basking in euphoria as she looks forward to a bountiful harvest from cassava stems.

“This intervention has made me a proud farmer,” she said, admiring the radiating beauty from her cassava farm.

Before foraying into cassava stem production, Mrs. Solomon tried to grow rice on two occasions in the past but failed, no thanks to climate change. When she decided to cultivate cassava, she was denied access to improved cassava varieties because of COVID 19,which shutdown businesses and restricted the movement of people and agricultural products and inputs.

The GIZ intervention brought significant relief by supporting farmers to establish sustainable cassava seed systems so that farmers could sell both cassava roots and stems.

Mrs Solomon, who is now a proud owner of 10 hectares of cassava seed farm, described the intervention as one of the surest ways to help Nigeria attain food security while creating wealth and job opportunities for the county’s teeming youths.

“I am happy today because I am going to sell both cassava stems and roots. The improved varieties (Dixon and TME 419) make me feel happy,” Mrs Solomon added.

She explained her plans to expand her cassava farm this year by getting more members of her cooperative group to purchase the improved varieties and grow them on their farms.

She, however, called on the federal government to complement the efforts of the Project by making tractors available for land preparation, adding that there are many ‘virgin’ lands available for cultivation across the country.

“There are so many arable lands suitable for cassava production, but the cost of renting a tractor is on the high side. Land preparation is still a major challenge hindering the opportunities in this sector. My cooperative has over 30 hectares of land but no tractors to prepare the land for cultivation,” she lamented.

Under the GIZ Cassava & Maize Value Chain Project, seed entrepreneurs did not only get access to affordable, quality-assured seeds of improved cassava varieties, they went through an intensive training on the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for sustainable cassava production.

Another beneficiary of the Project, Mrs. Gbadebo Adejoke, in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, commended the Project, saying that she was exposed to better planting practices and new, improved cassava varieties.

“I am very happy to be part of this project, and I have plans not to sell

my stems but to expand my farm,” she said.

Gbadebo, a cassava seed entrepreneur, grew the cassava variety called Ayaya with a yield potential of more than 30 tons per ha. Admiring the vigor of her farm, she said, “There are many cassava farmers that want to key into this project, and we will be very happy if this project would bring more people on board.”

Gbadebo, whose farm sits on one acre, attracts dozens of farmers in the community who come to learn and gain insights about the cassava seed system.

Overtures from fellow farmers to buy the stems from Gbadebo have not yielded results because of her desire to expand her field.

“I plan to cultivate more hectarage and multiply this variety before I start selling. My fellow farmers want to buy the stems, but I refused to sell this year because it is not enough for me,” she explained.

The GIZ Technical Advisor responsible for the Project, Mr. Divine Torkutsah, said the grant agreement with IITA was to support farmers to recover from the impact of COVID-19. He stressed that the Project was developed in consultation with federal and state partners. He said cassava seed challenges, particularly in Ogun and Oyo State, were identified as the as major bottleneck to the cassava sector.

“So, the Project looked at supporting farmers to have access to improved and clean cassava seeds. And as we have seen, the module was such that we have farmers who received breeder stems from IITAGoSeed and would be producing foundation seeds. Then these farmers are further linked to other sets of farmers producing commercial (certified) seeds for sale to cassava farmers.

“Through this approach, the Project created entrepreneurial opportunities

for cassava seed farmers and spray service providers within the cassava seed value chain. From what the beneficiaries said: “This project has positively impacted their lives, and they are anticipating an increase in their income,” he said.

In the words of the Project Manager, Dr. Godwin Atser, “Improved varieties are key to changing the narrative of cassava. Adoption of improved varieties will increase cassava productivity, ensure food security, guarantee processors of quality raw materials, and hinder the spread of diseases attacking cassava.”

He explained that the Project was successful because it adopted the BASICS Model, which promotes entrepreneurship and job creation along the cassava seed value chain.

“Today, we have dozens of farmers across Ogun and Oyo states that are engaged in cassava stem multiplication and marketing,” he explained.

Dr. Atser said that the Project had also strengthened links with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), the country’s seed regulating agency, and IITA GoSeed—an Early Generation Seed Company owned by IITA. The Vegetative Seed Specialist and the General Manager of IITA GoSeed, Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo, said that GoSeed was responsible for supplying improved cassava varieties to the seed entrepreneurs in Ogun and Oyo states.

She said: “At IITA GoSeed, we use new technologies to multiply the improved varieties and make virus–free stems available to the seed producers who will further multiply and sell to farmers. Our Semi Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) technology has helped us surmount the slow multiplication challenge that we used to have in the past. Now we are multiplying virus-free cassava planting materials at a much faster rate such that within two years of release, the improved planting materials are commercially available to seed entrepreneurs. This is good news to our cassava seed entrepreneurs.”

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BUSINESSWORLD

OIL & GAS

Fuel Scarcity: Seven Reasons Why Mele Kyari Deserves Commendation The GMD/CEO NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, should be commended for proactively resolving the recent disruption in the supply and distribution chain of Premium Motor Spirit and the measures put in place to forestall future occurrence, Writes Peter Uzoho business entities of the NNPCs Downstream Directorate. In its war-room like daily meetings, the Taskforce reviewed the daily products discharge and allocation, supply to depots, vessel plan and visibility, intervention loadings and products dispatch to various states.

Other indices reviewed within the daily Taskforce meeting include: days sufficiency, stock sufficiency and distribution, queue situations across all 36 states of the federation, vessel status, evacuation trend, proposed truck plan and depot performance. During its meetings, major decisions are taken with regards to ramping up products availability at filling stations nationwide, even as necessary interventions were offered to ensure that states which have queues challenge become adequately wet with products.

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ecently, Nigeria’s petroleum downstream subsector witnessed a major setback. Just before February gets midway, there was a major disruption in the supply and distribution chain of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). Filling stations across the country were literally thrown into chaos, with motorists spending days on long and snaky queues, endlessly waiting for their turns at the pump.

Not only for Nigerians who are the major bearers of this brunt, the disappointment was a huge embarrassment for the federal government.

The question to ask is, how did all that start? It all began with the discovery of Methanol-blended petrol, otherwise known as Off-Spec fuel, by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

This led to the immediate withdrawal of the commodity from the markets across the country.

Ironically, unscrupulous oil marketers cashed in on this unfortunate accident in the name of profiteering, extorting the common man through exorbitant prices!

It is, however, heartwarming to see that at the moment, the situation has improved.

Normalcy has since been restored. There is significant abundance of petroleum products -not just PMS – across the length and breadth of the country. Motorists are now called into filling stations to come and buy. Recall that at the peak of the crisis, Nigerians were buying a litre of petrol for N300 and more depending on the location, need and desperation of the buyer! Today however, almost all the states are wet with products and Nigerians are buying at the regulated price of N165/litre.

In the midst of all these PMS brouhaha, it is important to make an introspection and explain the crucial role played by the NNPC, as an ultimate supplier of last resort and the custodian of national energy security, in resolving this crisis:

NNPC’S PROACTIVE APPROACH It is significant to note that shortly after the discovery of the off-spec fuel, NNPC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), immediately swung into action, by announcing a massive withdrawal of the contaminated products nationwide. This was in a bid to ascertain the levels of methanol and determine the appropriate actions to mitigate the plethora of issues arising. Potentially, that singular proactive decision and timely intervention ensured that millions of cars that could have had their engines damaged were saved.

In a country where people are keen on making money off innocent citizens at the expense of quality and standards, NNPC, and its highly proactive leadership, made the right decision on behalf of millions of Nigerians, and should be commended.

FORESTALLING FUTURE OCCURRENCE Shortly after withdrawal of the off-spec fuel, NNPC took its strategy a notch higher by launching a major investigation to unravel the causes of the unsafe quantity of methanol in the petrol imported into the country. In one of such inquests, the GMD/CEO NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari summoned all the parties involved in the importation of the off-spec molecules.

Before a viewing national audience, the GMD/ CEO forthrightly explained the events that led to the discovery of the unfortunate incident; he also revealed the companies that imported the four petrol cargoes as MRS, Emadeb/Hyde/ AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, Oando and Duke Oil, and ordered the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck and marine).

Shedding more light on the infamous consignments, Kyari said that petrol brought into Nigeria are usually not tested for methanol content, although it is a known fact that measured

TAKING CHARGE OF THE NARRATIVE

Kyari methanol is globally used to blend petrol; this is however not done for products meant for Nigerian Market. He also maintained that cargoes quality certificates, issued at the loading port in Belgium, by AmSpec Belgium, indicated that the product complied with Nigerian specifications without indicating the percentage levels of methanol.

NNPC quality inspectors, including GMO, SGS, GeoChem and G&G conducted tests before discharge, which showed that the cargo also met the countrys standards,” the NNPC boss was quoted as saying. Most importantly, the NNPC helmsman apologized over the unfortunate development, assuring that it would never happen again, at least under his watch as the GMD/CEO.

PROMPT REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY PRODUCTS It is important to state that NNPC’s prompt request for emergency products imports averted major crisis. After recalling the off-spec fuel and commencing investigation into the matter, the NNPC asked oil trading firms to immediately embark on an emergency supply of petrol to replace cargoes that were rejected because of their poor quality. In most of his meetings with the oil traders, the NNPC CEO maintained that the only way out of the menace is for those products suppliers to go wherever they need to go in the world to look for alternative cargoes that will immediately replace the off-spec PMS they supplied.

He added, unequivocally: In order to prevent the distribution of the petrol, we have ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck and marine. All defaulting suppliers have been put on notice for remedial actions, and NNPC will work

with the authorities to take further necessary actions in line with existing regulations.

NNPC wishes to reassure Nigerians that we are currently sourcing additional cargoes to ensure product sufficiency.”

SUSTAINED PRODUCTS SUPPLY & DISTRIBUTION In the midst of this ensuing crisis, NNPC fulfilled its promise of ensuring that over 2.3 billion litres of PMS were delivered before the end of February 2022. This was all aimed at totally arresting the situation.

For instance in the week of Saturday, March 6 2022, the Company released details of the distribution of an additional 381.88 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to Nigerians. According to the PMS Evacuation Report of the NNPC, the product was lifted from the depot and distributed to Nigerians through retail filling stations within a one-week period covering February 21st and 26th.

The release of the 381.88 million litres of petrol to Nigerians by the NNPC, represents an average daily distribution of 63.65 million litres. This is in addition to the 387.5 million litres of petrol that was released to Nigerians during the week covering February 14th to February 20th. A breakdown of the NNPC weekly national evacuation report showed that 80 percent of all the distribution took place at the top 20 high loading depots. It stated that the remaining 20 percent of the evacuation took place at the other loading depots.

NNPC ACTIVATED ITS FUEL SITUATION TASKFORCE In what could be seen as another decisive step towards arresting the situation, the NNPC GMD/CEO immediately activated the company’s fuel situation taskforce, which involves mainly some Management and operational staff drawn from the various

In past regimes, Nigerians usually have little or no information at all during fuel crisis situations. It is noteworthy that the story changed during the last fuel crisis. When this latest fuel challenge came, the NNPC leveraged on its Transparency, Accountability & Performance Excellence (TAPE) mantra by activating a robust stakeholder communication. Knowing full well that in crisis, you are as good as how well and timely your brand provides the needed information, the NNPC ensured that Nigerians had access to up-to-date, real-time information on the situation, telling its story and taking charge of the narrative, especially online. For instance, on NNPCs verified Twitter handle which has about 400,000 followers, the company published the names of the top 20 high loading depots that were used to evacuate the PMS, in one of the weekends. These were: Pinnacle-Lekki, which evacuated the highest volume of 40.25 million litres, AA Rano (22.43 million litres), AYM Shafa (19.23 million litres), Prudent (17.78 million litres), 11 PLC (17.78 million litres), Rainoil Lagos (15.93 million litres), and Avidor (15.63 million litres). There is also Fynefield with 12.39 million litres, Bull Strategic (12.2 million litres), Matrix (11.99 million litres), Koenamex (11.99 million litres), and Pinnacle (11.76 million litres). The rest are NIPCO (10.78 million litres), Swift (10.01 million litres), Total Apapa (9.5 million litres), TSL (9.19 million litres), Sobaz Nig Ltd (8.94 million litres), Mainland (8.88 million litres) and Ardova (8.83 million litres).

REDOUBLED STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Still in the wake of the immediate past fuel crisis, NNPC intensified its stakeholder engagement efforts, beyond what was done in the past. At many fora, the GMD/CEO Mallam Mele Kyari engaged critical stakeholders across the entire downstream value-chain. From Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association (PTD) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigerian (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP), it was very evident that the NNPC helmsman didnt want to take chances. Add that to the regular interface with security agencies such as the NSCDC and the Nigeria Customs Service, and it becomes obvious that NNPCs stakeholder engagement during this past fuel crisis is indeed commendable.

But one may be tempted to ask, what did the NNPC boss did differently, this time around?

The answer is simple, in engaging these crucial stakeholders, he made it categorically clear to the petroleum products marketers that they cannot afford to throw away patriotism at the expense of profit-making. In essence, his message was that: while there is nothing wrong in making gains from sales margins in business, they should be nationalistic enough to know that any lapse in fuel supply value-chain is a national issue which could trigger a major crisis.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Group Chief Executive, FCMB Group Plc, Mr. Ladi Balogun; Chairman of the Group, Mr. Ladi Jadesimi and Company Secretary/Executive Compliance Officer, Mrs. Funmi Adedibu, during the 9th Annual General Meeting of FCMB Group held in Lagos… recently

New FMBN Management Pledges to Prioritise Recapitalisation, ICT Project Completion Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The newly inaugurated management team of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has listed the completion of the bank’s Information Technology project and its recapitalisation drive as priorities.

The bank further stated that the implementation of the five-year FMBN strategy plan, and review of the FMBN Establishment Acts will be pursued vigorously.

Managing Director/

Chief Executive, Hamman Madu, unveiled the new management’s strategic focus during a Townhall Staff Meeting at the FMBN headquarters in Abuja.

Madu noted that the new management was fully aware of the systemic challenges facing the bank internally and externally and intends to hit the ground running, including making the bank more digital and efficient.

“We have to speedily conclude our IT project to make the bank more digital,

eliminate paperwork and enhance service delivery. We will work with the ICT team to reduce as much as possible the manual operations.

“On the back of the ICT transformation, we must all work to revamp our work processes, come up with standard operating procedures for all job desks.”

Madu stated The FMBN boss also said they would redirect the focus of FMBN loan operations to ensure essential alignment with the bank’s core mandate.

According to him, the ongoing implementation of the FMBN five-year strategy blueprint will also be occupying a central part of the Management’s activities.

In their separate remarks, the Executive Director, Business Development & Portfolio Management (BD&PM), Mr. Kingsley Chukwuma as well as Mustapha Olayiwola, Executive Director, Loans & Mortgage Services (L&MS), called for the cooperation of the entire staff.

Sylva Tasks Staff Members On Devotion to Duty, Teamwork Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has urged the staff members of the ministry to redouble their efforts for more engaged and productive teamwork with a higher drive.

Sylva made the call at the weekend in his remarks at the bonding retreat for the staff members in Mandala, Niger State.

Sylva, in a statement by his Senior Adviser (Media

and Communication), Mr Horatius Egua, said in view of the party primaries and general elections increasing demand for performance accountability by public institutions was paramount.

“We have come a long way since we assumed office in August 2019 in the execution of our mandate as outlined in the ministry’s priority areas.

“I must say we have delivered on all our priority areas from the increase of petroleum production capacity

to the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

“All the credit must go to the staff and members of my team who are present and absent. Your efforts are indeed appreciated.

“As we are all aware, this administration has barely one year to go. So, this retreat serves as both a time for stock taking and a strategic planning session,” he said.

The minister described the retreat as a team bonding retreat that would foster

increased togetherness and cohesion among team members.

According to him, it provides an opportunity to know each other better and retool to achieve a common goal.

He said collaboration was the only way great things could be achieved, adding that a group that lacks teamwork would fail even if they had the brightest minds but decided to operate in silos or at cross purposes.

Cadbury Nigeria Grows Profit by 538% in Q1 2022 Cadbury Nigeria Plc has announced a profit after tax of N1.54 billion for first quarter ended March 31, 2022 representing a growth of over 538 per cent when compared to N242 million realised in the same period in 2021.

Its unaudited financial abatement showed that Profit before tax grew by 538 per cent to N2.2 billion in Q1

2022 from N345.1 million reported in Q1 2021.

The results released over the weekend at the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) showed that its turnover increased by 43 per cent to N12.8 billion in Q1 2022 from N8.92 billion reported in Q1 2021.

The Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria, Mrs. Oyeyimika Adeboye in a

statement said the company’s current repositioning strategy is beginning to yield the desired results.

She said: “The business environment in which we operate continues to be challenging. With high inflation and spiralling Naira devaluation resulting in a significantly higher cost of doing business in Nigeria, we have had to increase the price

of our products to bridge the huge cost from high commodity and FX impact on most of our input costs.

“We recognize the importance of nourishing and delighting our consumers with the right snacks and we will continue to make our iconic brands available to our consumers while also delivering acceptable returns to our shareholders.”

Emodi: Anchoria Asset Will Continue to Improve Investment Possibilities Kayode Tokede The Managing Director, Anchoria Asset Management, Mr. Azubike Emodi has said that the company is poised to continually improve border investment possibilities and innovative solutions to its clients.

Speaking at the client and brand re-launch in Lagos, he noted that these solutions are expected to speak directly to all investment needs, be it retirement, education, saving towards an asset or any other lifestyle plans.

According to him, the asset management company promised clients excellence adding, “In line with this promise, we also introduce our financial technology platform- SEEDs

by AnchoriaAM. This platform presents not only access to key financial market information

but also access to subscribe to our products, create unique portfolios and manage your investments in (local & foreign currencies) on the go.

“Furthermore, when you sign into our portfolio management product, our team of wealth & investment management experts can consistently review and make speedy and rewarding decisions on your behalf. Our research team also offers informed knowledge of market performance, stock history and investment patterns that can help you achieve your financial objectives.”

He said the licensed asset management firm in 2018, has grown over the years to become a trusted partner for profitable investment solutions, one of the fastest growing and profitable asset management firms in the country.

L i v e s t o c k Po t e n t i a l Threatened by Insecurity, Others, Minister Laments James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, has said the potential promises of the livestock sector have been threatened by the “pervasive insurgence and conflicts” in the North-East, Middle Belt and other parts of the country in recent times.

The minister said the projected growth of the sector had further been slowed down by the “overwhelming consequences and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, floods and droughts”.

Speaking at the opening a summit on National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), themed: positioning the Nigerian Livestock for the 21st Century Economy”, which was jointly organised by the ministry and Agriculture

Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN), the minister said the waves of destruction and demographic dislocation are so huge and unprecedented that livestock businesses are significantly disrupted with animals wiped out in many instances.

This came as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Fred Kafeero, said despite its implementation facing multiple technical and operational hiccups, the NLTP remained one of the most coherent frameworks which clearly identified the root causes of the conflict and proposed cost effective, realistic and private sector led solutions to the problems facing the sector.

But he said the implementation arrangement should be reviewed to reap its desired benefits.

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TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERVIEW

OLAWALE OLUWO

I Will Scrap Alpha Beta If Elected Lagos Governor Former Lagos Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Olawale Oluwo and a member of the Ambode Campaign Organisation (AMCO), says the APC group is ready to dislodge the Governor’s Advisory Council from holding the APC Lagos’ levers of power. In 2018, Oluwo resigned his appointment to protest the gang-up against then-Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and defected from the APC to PDP. In this interview with Bayo Akinloye, the ex-commissioner sheds more light on AMCO’s plans, the blueprint saga that denied Ambode a second term in office and why he will be a better APC candidate than Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the 2023 governorship election. Excerpt: Politics is in the air, it’s the season of declaration of intentions, tell us, how do you see Lagos’ political environment? he Lagos political environment before now has been interesting, and I believe it’s going to get more interesting as we move into the 2023 political activities.

In the first instance, we have also been used to a two-party system of APC and PDP. But, on the APC side, it’s always been like a one-man show. It’s like a monopoly. I think that is about to change: that is the interesting thing about the 2023 elections.

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the APC resigning my membership of the party and then also referring him to my earlier letter to the governor resigning my appointment as a commissioner. Because in government, you sign the oath of office, oath of allegiance and oath of secrecy. So, the resignation letter I gave to the governor is not the one I made public, it is the letter I wrote to the party chairman that I made public because I don’t owe him any oath of secrecy. But the issues in those letters that necessitated my resignations were basically the same.

You were the only commissioner who resigned in December 2018. Was that in protest against the fact that the then-governor was going to be denied a second term?

Why did you resign?

Yes. You’re absolutely correct. And I did not only register my protest, I also followed it up with very clear statements in my letter of resignation from the government. I don’t like it when people play god with the transient power that ordinarily belongs to God and the people. There were two letters I wrote when exiting. The one that you saw in the public space is the letter I wrote to the chairman of

Tell us what the issues were then?

The issues were internal democracy, undermining of democratic institutions, abuse of power and not making the welfare of our people the priority of government.

I believe any democratic process should start with what is called internal democracy where the members who constitute the core of the party will be the ones choose the flagbearers of the party. I had worked with Governor (Akinwunmi) Ambode then for like three years, and it was clear to me that the direction he was going was consistent with the expectations of the

people, and the people were happy with his performance. But a particular group within the APC just decided that they would stop his (Ambode) second term bid, not because he was not doing the work. Not because the people were not enjoying the dividends of democracy from him but because they said he was not a party man. A man that is a member of your party, how did he become a bad party man when prior to that time, about few weeks earlier, everybody in the party had endorsed him, starting from the senators to the House of Assembly and the rest of them? So, what changed? I couldn’t flow with all those rigmaroles, and I concluded it was best to just exit the government and the party.

You made a reference to a group.

What group is that?

It’s the group that dominates the levers of power in the government of Lagos State, and that dominance has been there for close to 23 years, and I don’t think that dominance is sustainable. I think there must be a democratic process to manage the party’s affairs.

What’s the name of the group? Who is behind the group?

The name of the group is GAC; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s group.

That group has been described as the de facto ruling machinery in Lagos politics.

Is it a legally recognised part of the APC? Some people say the GAC is just a cover for one man to perpetuate his political aims, to keep governing Lagos by proxy.

What’s your impression of this GAC? In the first instance, I do not know whether GAC was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) because it looks like an NGO to me, and there is nothing wrong in having an NGO. An NGO is to protect the interests of its own members. So, to that extent, if there is an NGO group within the party, that group would advance the interests of its members, not necessarily the interests of all the members of the party. Now, within the context of our party constitution, there is no provision for GAC. It is unknown to the party’s constitution and has no power to select candidates for the party.

My take is that the GAC, in furtherance

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

31

INTERVIEW

OLAWALE OLUWO

It’s Lazy Economic Strategy Requesting Special Status for Lagos of its own interests, has decided to pick a candidate to sponsor for the APC Primary elections. I want Lagosians to know that the incumbent Governor that has been endorsed by the GAC is the candidate of the GAC and not the candidate of the party. The AMCO Group will announce its own candidate and the candidate of the two groups will contest the governorship primary election in Lagos State.

So, the field is open to everybody. Nobody should be intimidated or hoodwinked by the GAC into believing that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s endorsement is a fait accompli.

GAC has no power to impose any candidate on the APC, only the entire members of the party can exercise such powers.

senators representing Lagos State, the house of representatives caucus, the state assembly, the local government leadership and the party leaders. And within two or three weeks after those endorsements, we began to hear something else. They’re the only ones who can tell us why they didn’t grant a performing governor a second term in office. I would have thought that the basis for getting a second term was performance.

Ambode was accused of not implementing certain things in a ‘blueprint’. Have you seen the ‘blueprint’?

I’ve never seen the ‘blueprint’ and I don’t think Governor Ambode has seen any such ‘blueprint’. That’s the truth. But let me put it this way: Is the ‘blueprint’ the manifesto of the APC? If it is, why the secrecy about the masterplan? When was the masterplan written and who are the writers of the plan? Is it still current or is it now obsolete? Is it youth and technology compliant because the world has moved into the digital age? We implore anyone that is in custody of the masterplan to please make it public. However, notwithstanding the content of the yet to be disclosed masterplan, AMCO will remain faithful only to the APC manifesto. We will craft a modern masterplan out of the manifesto that will suit the Lagos dynamics and achieve the expectation of our youthful population.

At the moment, are you a member of the APC, because I recall correctly you resigned a couple of years ago?

Yes, I am a member of the APC, I recently returned back to the party.

Having come back, what role do you aspire to play in APC politics in Lagos since those you protested against are still very firmly in control of the political terrain and do you intend to run for an elective office?

Let me put it this way: for this interview particularly, I want to say the struggle is not about me. It is about propagating our group (the AMCO group) in the public space and to let Lagosians know that AMCO is ready to lead the struggle for a better Lagos, using the APC platform. We do not believe in the GAC politics but we give it to them that it is within their constitutionally guaranteed right to advance their own interests. We have our own group, which is AMCO (Akinwunmi Ambode Campaign Organisation). It is not a new group. It’s been around since 2013-2014.

But what we’ve done now is to expand it and prepare it for the next elections, the primary elections and the general elections that will be contested in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

There’s going to be a clash of AMCO versus GAC; is that a scenario you’re looking at?

That is the way of democracy. AMCO is working to ensure we have a competitive intra-party democratic selection process that is inclusive. I encourage other aspirants to come out and contest in the APC primary elections at all levels in Lagos State. They should not allow themselves to be intimidated because the APC leadership we have now at the national level is not the same APC of 2019. AMCO have absolute confidence, I repeat – absolute confidence, in the leadership of Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu led National Exco and NWC and we look forward to a level playing field in Lagos.

As far as we are concerned, the two dominant groups in the Lagos APC are the GAC and AMCO. While AMCO may not control all the levers of power in the government, we have the majority of party members supporting us.

But the impression the public gets is that the group that has dominated for so many years remains the dominant group.

Thank you for calling it ‘impression’, but we have to operate on the basis of the facts. The APC membership preponderance is skewed in favour of AMCO. But for me, I think this election is going to be about the party members during the primaries and about the voting public in Lagos during the general elections. Fact is, the voting population is with us.

There are various elective positions available in the coming election cycle.

Currently, you’re like an outsider because you don’t hold an elective position or whether any of your members hold an elective position in government. What are your plans and strategies not just to be dominant in the party but also to hold elective government positions in the affairs of Lagos?

We have that plan, and we’re going to be sponsoring aspirants to match other aspirants at every level of the elections in Lagos - Wards, Local government, House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship (governor

Oluwo and deputy governor). We’re a state-wide organisation, and we have our presence in all the local governments and wards.

Since reports that GAC has endorsed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term, are you going to field another aspirant to contest in the APC governorship primary and other positions?

Absolutely so. That’s the essence of democracy. It’s a competition. The GAC and their candidates are not our enemies, they’re our adversaries. But we’re in the same party, and the members of the party will determine who best will be their flagbearers, and we’re sure AMCO will be their preferred group.

It seems like a slam dunk with GAC endorsing Sanwo-Olu that the governorship ticket is settled among APC members. How will you change that and who is your group putting forward to challenge the incumbent governor in the primary?

Nothing is settled because the process is just about to start. AMCO has its own internal processes that is very democratic. I can assure you that within the next few days, you will know the candidate that AMCO is putting forward to contest the primary election in Lagos State against Governor Sanwoolu (the GAC candidate). I am fully prepared to play that leadership role and represent AMCO is that gubernatorial capacity if I get the endorsement.

But like I said, that announcement will be made in the next few days.

What mode of primary are you looking at?

Direct primary is the best option for Lagos.

“There are internal mechanisms within the party to resolve issues. So, I don’t want to be presumptuous. But what we know is that we are determined to make sure there is internal democracy in the Lagos APC this time around”

After all the 2019 primary that brought in Sanwo-Olu and other officials established the procedure of direct primary in Lagos.

We know that the party is owned by the members and they have the power to select flagbearers to fly the flag of the party.

How does your group intend to turn the table against the dominant GAC in APC? The word “dominance” is relative. You can be dominant with respect to controlling the levers of power in the government but not necessarily dominant with respect to having the majority of members of the party.

They’re two different things. So, they hold the levers of power in the government but we have the members of the party on our side and that’s why we’re advocating that a process that will be fair to members is a process that allows members to pick their own flagbearers. I have no doubt in my mind that if that process is adopted, our group will come out victorious.

What will happen if the process AMCO prefers isn’t adopted?

There are internal mechanisms within the party to resolve issues. So, I don’t want to be presumptuous. But what we know is that we are determined to make sure there is internal democracy in the Lagos APC this time around. AMCO will continue to stand for inclusiveness, internal democracy, and development in Lagos State.

Good governance, inclusiveness and internal democracy; have these things been lacking?

Well, it’s been undulating and not consistently optimized. Sometimes they get it right, and a lot of times, you don’t get it right.

Can you shed some light on why Ambode was denied a second term ticket?

You know the truth? We have to be fair to the other side. They never for one day said Governor Ambode did not perform.

They praised him to high heavens on the basis of his performance, and they didn’t stop at that. There were series of endorsements, back-to-back, by the APC

The Visionscape deal was one of the reasons cited as ruining the second term bid of Ambode and that he tampered with where the GAC members are feeding fat on. You were in the government of Ambode.

Please shed more light on this.

It is important to clarify that government is run on the basis of procurement, hence people make money legitimately by procuring goods and services for government and contracting with government generally. It is therefore not out of place that people will make money from refuse management, including participating GAC members. Our administration implemented the environment reform and Visionscape was the vehicle authorised to drive it. In our government, we focused on four major reforms, namely: the revenue reform, energy reform, environment reform and transportation reform.

With respect to the environment reform, I’ve seen people talk about Visionscape without seeing the overall objectives set to be achieved by the environment reform. The GAC and the present government demonized the reform and shut it down without providing an alternative.

They have now gone back to dumping refuse at the Olusegun dumpsite in Ojota, with little regard for safety, because when you keep refuse dump for long, it begins to generate methane gas, and methane gas is highly combustible and can explode and kill people like a bomb explosion. We closed down the Olusosun facility but they reopened it within a few months of taking over from us. Now, what was our environment reform about? Number one: we said the way Lagos was handling refuse was not appropriate. So, we decided to close all refuse dumps in the state.

Number two: the vehicles evacuating and disposing of the refuse were completely decrepit.

So, we proposed to financially support existing truck owners to buy new trucks which they will pay down over time from a percentage of the money government pays them monthly. We also refurbished the existing transfer loading stations and created engineered landfill in strategic locations of the state. The engineered landfills were designed to sort the refuse for recycling purposes and to provide feedstocks for waste to energy power plants that will power the communities around the sandfills like Epe, Badagry etc. I’m not saying our environment reform was perfect. But overall, in terms of the objectives to be achieved, in terms of the value addition for sustainable environment, industrial inputs and power generation, we were on course to joining the global best practice in refuse management. But they sabotaged it because of vested interests.

Please note this – there is no alternative option for a sustainable environment management in Lagos State outside of our well thought out environment reform; and I am convinced that Lagos State will still go back to implementing that our reform sooner or later. It was not a perfect programme but it can be perfected to reduce the concentration risks that were inherent in its implementation. It is not unexpected that vested interests would delay reforms Continued on page 32

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TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERVIEW

OLAWALE OLUWO

GAC Has No Power to impose any governorship candidate on Lagos APC It’s presumed Ambode is the leader of this group. He seems not to be visible. Why is he not visible to lead and articulate the vision of this group within the APC fold?

Let us not mix up visibility for effectiveness.

Excellency Ambode has been very effective in organising the AMCO and in getting the AMCO ready for this battle. Whether that effectiveness will now translate to results is what we want to test during the next elections. The people of Lagos will determine that. Yes, we have been quiet, now we are talking and trying to sell our value proposition to Lagosians. It’s a matter of style. It’s a matter of strategy.

What are you offering Lagosians?

We’re offering them a better and fairer Lagos that is productive and inclusive, with a government that will prioritize the welfare and security of our people. The Lagos of today is working for just a few people; we stand for a Lagos that works for all our peoples.

Furthermore, we were in government before and no one has said we didn’t perform. Our intention now is to go back to where we stopped.

We’re close to the streets and the hoods. There is palpable yearnings for a better Lagos. We will lead that change process and deliver better security, education, infrastructure, energy, health and improved welfare for our people.

In any development process, you start with security and energy (petroleum, gas, electricity, renewables and all that) because those are the foundation upon which the development of a modern society is built.

Oluwo but government must summon the courage to manage the process, by putting the interest of the people above vested interests of a few.

The sight of mountainous refuse dump and inhalation of hazardous gases at the Ojota loop, being the busiest gateway to our city from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, does not portray us as environment sensitive people.

But within a few weeks that the reform took off, there was a lot of refuse in Lagos?

No. No. There was sabotage. The vested interests were sabotaging the environment reforms, and we have it on good authority (with video evidence) that some of the trucks operated by the vested interests were tacitly encouraged to keep dumping their refuse on the roads in the night, just to sabotage the environment reform and embarrass our government.

It appears AMCO as a group isn’t wellknown. In the eyes of the public, GAC is dominant. So, why did it take the group so long to come out for the public to know about the existence of AMCO that’s quietly dominant within the APC? We have not been quiet. You know, before now, I think last year, congresses were held at the ward, local government and state levels.

AMCO participated actively. Dominance should be defined within the context of effectiveness.

We have been effective in our strategies, and as we go into the primary elections, we will aim to achieve dominance. Dominance is a dynamic phenomenon; you can be dominant yesterday and today but what is the guarantee that you will be dominant tomorrow.

In the last congresses held, you participated.

The exco recognised by the party is of the other faction, not yours. How will your group come out strong when the national APC appears to recognise that exco?

I think we have to be very careful about the characterisation of that recognition. It’s not absolute. The process of the congresses has not been completed. It’s inchoate, to the extent that it is only the state chairman of the party that was inaugurated in Abuja. The Ojelabi chairmanship itself is still in contention because we believe that during the congresses, the state adopted a consensus approach. And, if there are five groups in the party participating in the congresses, then the consensus approach should accommodate all the groups within the party. It can never be a consensus if ALL the executive positions are shared to members of just one group in the party. That in itself is a violation of the directives of the national secretariat of the party.

“The GAC is a group within the Lagos APC.They may have monopolized control of the levers of power for two reasons. Number one: Because the other groups in the party have not been very aggressive in challenging the status quo; and two, the PDP that is the main opposition has not been able to muster the required capacity to take power in the State.”

That’s on the one hand. On the other hand, we have 245 wards and 20 local governments without party exco structures.

The Exco Lists for these levels (including the uncompleted state exco structure) will have to be harmonized for fairness. As far as AMCO is concerned, it is only the chairman of the state exco that has been sworn in by the outgone Governor Buni’s Caretaker Committee. In Lagos, the GAC just allocated 100% of the exco positions to their own group only. That will not stand in this party.

The injustice perpetrated by GAC during the Congresses made the Lagos4Lagos group to exit the party for the PDP. The harmonized lists of exco members at the State, Local Government and Ward levels of the party will now have to be produced by the National headquarters since the state chapter has failed in that responsibility, on account of its being hijacked by the GAC (a group that is unknown to the party constitution).

Will that mean that your group is determined to break the chokehold of the group led by one man?

The party, members of the party and the people of Lagos, are determined to break it. I won’t say our group. Our group is just providing the leadership in that regard.

But what’s wrong with him controlling the party and managing all the crises in a dictatorial way that some people claim has worked?

Let me not personalise it. The GAC is a group within the Lagos APC. They may have monopolized control of the levers of power for two reasons. Number one: Because the other groups in the party have not been very aggressive in challenging the status quo; and two, the PDP that is the main opposition has not been able to

muster the required capacity to take power in the State. That’s why AMCO is saying let there be collaboration by all the groups within the party to rescue the APC from the chock hold of the GAC because the people of Lagos yearn for this change.

If your group intends to field aspirants, including a governorship aspirant, will it not be a vote of no confidence in the incumbent governor?

You see, we don’t operate a parliamentary system. So, the concept of a ‘vote of no confidence’ does not arise. But let me put it this way: we’ve had three administrations in the state. We’ve had the Tinubu, Fashola and Ambode regimes, and now the SanwoOlu’s. I think the incumbent governor is struggling to impress the people of Lagos but AMCO is presenting a stronger value proposition to the electorate that will take Lagos to a superior level than what we are seeing now. The Governor still has some time to work before the end of his term but he must increase his work pace if he wants to be grouped in the column of performing governors like Governors Fashola and Ambode.

Won’t it be helpful if your group give your value proposition to the incumbent governor since you belong to the same party?

But he was elected on the basis of some programmes he sold to the people of Lagos.

We don’t want to look like interlopers or busybodies but we are available to provide advice as appropriate if we are approached for such. Honestly, it is already getting too late for that now so we will continue to maintain our lane. We will even be happier to implement any good ideas we have by ourselves. That is why we are in the game to take over power from him.

If you’re given the governorship ticket, will you accept it?

Yes I will. I prepared myself to serve this state since January 2006. Governor Ambode gave me the opportunity to realize that dream in 2015 and I am very grateful to him and to all the other leaders in my constituency who played some roles in my nomination. If given the opportunity to govern the state, I will run Lagos like a country, based on a template that will make us self-sufficient in all the things that can give our people better security and improved welfare. Afterall, countries that are just a fraction of Lagos economy, like Togo, Sierra Leone, Republic of Benin and a few others along the West African coast are running their affairs. I strongly believe Lagos should aspire to be a globally competitive city-state like Johannesburg, Cairo, and maybe Dubai, that has the attraction of an investment destination.

Lagos must be self-sufficient in terms of revenues, energy security, food security, human capital development and adequacy of infrastructure.

People are saying that Lagos is not even scratching the surface of what it could generate in terms of IGR. What will you do to boost the revenue generation because you stated that if you got the call to serve as governor, you would not decline the opportunity?

I don’t believe in that special status being requested to be granted Lagos. I think it’s a lazy strategy. This state has all the ingredients to be great without going cap-in-hand to the federal government. It is in the interest of Lagos for the federal government to use its revenues to develop other states so the pressure of influx of people from other states to Lagos can be moderated. Lagos has quality human capital, natural resources and the strategic infrastructure like the seaports and airports that accounts for about 70% of international good and passenger traffic to Nigeria). What else are we looking for? Virtually all the major companies in Nigeria (including the oil and gas companies) have their head offices in Lagos. What we need in Lagos is to bring more people into the tax net, find other creative ways of generating revenue from utilities, and block the massive leakages in our revenue pots. People are encouraged to pay taxes when they are confident the money will be utilized judiciously for the development of the State.

Will you retain Alpha Beta?

No. I will not.

Why? Because I don’t believe the company is adding any value to the revenue generation activities of the state. Besides, we have a Lagos state internal revenue agency (LIRS) that is doing exactly the work that Alpha Beta is supposed to do. I will rather strengthen the internal revenue agency of the state and redirect any savings made from that process to fund infrastructure that will improve the welfare of our people.

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TUESDAY, ͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

ADORATION CENTRE TO GET UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL...

L-R: The Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and the Group Chairman, HP Kapital Limited, Nandishwar Kaushal, when Fr. Mbaka and Kaushal visited the governor with their team, at the Government House, Enugu, to inform him of their partnership to establish a University Hospital and other facilities at the Adoration Centre in Enugu... yesterday,

Ngige: Nothing Wrong with Doctors Leaving Nigeria, They ‘ll Return Better Equipped Funmi Ogundare All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential aspirant and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, yesterday described the issue of brain drain and migration of medical doctors out of the country

as not totally a bad situation, saying they would come back home better equipped with knowledge to make the desired impact in the country.

Ngige, who was a guest on ‘The Morning Show’ on Arise News Channel, yesterday stressed that there was nothing wrong with

doctors leaving Nigeria.

He argued: "This is not a phenomenon that is new in Nigeria.

By 1982 and 1984, our doctors were moving to Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom. It was not a new thing.

By 1990, they were moving to the United States. These countries need

our doctors because they are well trained.

“Our medical doctors and consultants are the best. With the slide of the naira. When I was in the medical school, it was two dollars to one naira. But when I was graduating, it became 78 kobo

How Saraki Prevented Buhari’s Impeachment for Spending $496,374,470 Without Legislative Approval Chuks Okocha in Abuja

of order raised by Senator Mathew Urhoghide to discuss the infraction was not allowed for discussion by the same Saraki in other to save the President any embarrassment.

"We refer members of the public to the Punch newspaper story on the Senator session published on April 25, 2018, with the headline “Senators fault Buhari’s $496 Tucano aircraft purchase without due process”.

Saraki’s media office also described the statement by BMO to downplay the role the Saraki-led senate played in getting the United States to agree to sell military equipment to Nigeria for the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in 2017 as “a mere revisionist antic, which depicts the group as an empty propaganda machine, whose members lack substance and simple understanding of the American system.”

Reacting to the statement titled: ‘Tucano Jets: Saraki Lied, Actually Wanted to Impeach Buhari on the Purchase’ by BMO, the former senate president, stated that the Buhari propaganda machine only

demonstrated ignorance in all its claims and showed that the members, particularly, the duo of Niyi Akinsiju and Cassidy Madueke, who signed the statement either have no respect for facts or very limited in their understanding of public policy.

He explained that the US refused to sell military equipment to Nigeria because the country was then categorised as one of those nations, whose military engaged in violation of the rights of the citizens and therefore were in constant violation of the Leahy’s law.

He explained that Section 362 of Title 10 of the US Code otherwise called Leahy’s law prevents the US from providing equipment, training, and other assistance to a foreign security force if the Secretary of Defence has credible information that such unit has committed a Government Violation of Human Rights (GVHR).

“Thus, whatever discussion the US President Donald Trump was said to have had with his Nigerian counterpart, the US policy was not about to change except the

Congress agreed to such change.

Most important, the US would not change such an important policy without the guarantee from the beneficiary country’s legislature.

“The BMO did not do enough research to find out that as far back as April 12, 2017, Saraki had held a closed-door meeting with then US ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, where the sale of the Tucano Jets was the main issue for discussion.

“The US wanted to know if the National Assembly was in support of the sales. We refer BMO, Akinsiju, Madueke, and their ilk to a Vanguard newspaper report published on April 13, 2017, titled “Saraki, US ambassador meet over the sale of attack planes to Nigeria.

El-Rufai: We’re Determined to Address Kaduna’s Security Challenges

President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, has described as mere speculation, insinuations that pressure was being mounted on him to contest the 2023 presidential election under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Rather, he said he would wait on God for direction on what his next political move should be.

Lawan, who spoke with newsmen yesterday on the sidelines of the Sallah homage paid to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, by Abuja residents, to mark the Eid-el-Fitr, stressed that, "If we stabilise our economy, we stabilise our country, then, people can contest, but for now, everything is speculative and I believe that God, in His infinite mercy, will show us the way.”

Details, yesterday, emerged about how the eighth Senate, under the watch of Dr. Bukola Saraki, staved off impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari for spending $496,374,470 on Tucano Jets without legislative approval.

Buhari’s Media Organisation, had yesterday, accused Saraki of having plotted the impeachment of President Buhari, because he paid for the Tucano jets without legislative approval.

But in a swift reaction, Saraki, in a lengthy statement by his senior media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said, "On the claims that there was an impeachment attempt on Buhari for granting anticipatory approval for the payment of $496,374,470 without legislative approval or any budgetary provision, there is no doubt that the act was a grave violation of the law and that no responsible legislature would ignore that infraction.

"Yet, contrary to the claims by the revisionists in BMO, the point

John Shiklam in Kaduna Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has assured residents of the state of his “commitment and determination to rally every resource to address the security challenges and make communities safer for life, liberty and livelihoods.”

In a message on Monday marking Eid-el-Fitr, he congratulated Muslims in the state on the successful completion of Ramadan, “praying Almighty Allah to accept the acts of worship, abstinence and charity that many citizens

undertook during the period.”

In the statement signed by his spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, the governor appealed to all residents to continue to do their utmost for peace and harmony in all communities.

“While extending his wishes for a peaceful celebration of Eid el Fitr, the governor urged the Muslim faithful to extend the Ramadan spirit into everyday life, practising faith and worship in the most noble tradition, and treating fellow humans with charity and generosity of spirit.

“He urged citizens to keep

hope alive amidst the current challenges. The governor appealed to all residents of Kaduna State to continue to do their utmost for peace and harmony in all our communities. He assured residents of the state government’s unwavering commitment and determination to rally every resource to address the security challenges and make our communities safer for life, liberty and livelihoods.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai prays Allah to bless the people of Kaduna State and their endeavours and to bring peace, prosperity and progress to Nigeria,” the statement stated.

Continued online

to one dollar and with Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), it moved to five dollars. Viz-a-viz the earning power locally and abroad, it is a thing the doctors can't resist and they moved in the 80s and 90s.

“What I am saying is that it is not all that bad in such a situation.

Those doctors and consultants came back with better knowledge while some came back with equipment.

What am saying is that all hope is not lost."

Responding to a question on doctor-patient ratio and whether the country has been able to meet the World Health Organisation's (WHO) standards, the minister said so far, no country in the world had been able to meet except Austria that is closer to it.

However, he said Nigeria should be able to deploy its doctors appropriately especially to the rural areas.

He said: "I asked the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) if we have deployed the ones we have here appropriately? The answer is no. Seventy per cent of doctors in Nigeria are in urban cities.

“Some of them are unemployed and I am saying that if we deploy these people properly in the rural areas and pay them rural allowances, the doctor/patient ratio would not be noticed.

"If we deploy all our NYSC

doctors, in the Primary Health Centre (PHC), then the basic healthcare system would have gone up. Deployment is another issue. Why should people come to the urban centres and are not employed anywhere and you are employed as ad hoc staff?

“Don’t forget that these doctors were trained with tax payers’ money and they were paying N80,000 in a term," Ngige stressed.

Speaking on the ASUU strike, he expressed concern that conciliation has failed between the federal government and the union, adding that most of the things in the 2009 agreement are not implementable.

"When the unions come to me, it means their employers have failed, my office is to serve as a conciliator between workers and employers.

So when you see ASUU coming too, it means conciliation has failed too in education and once they come, if am unable, I should send them to National Industrial Court for their employers to adjudicate for them.

“So, most of the time my job is to listen to the complaints of the parties and take document from the ministry of finance and pass it on to ASUU. For ASUU, the document they will hold is 2009 agreement which was not signed by this administration. A lot of the things there are not implementable," Ngige said.

Lawan: Pressure to Run for President Speculative, Awaiting God’s Direction Deji Elumoye in Abuja

On the question of his speculated presidential ambition, the nation's number three citizen said, "I thought you were going to ask me about what we want to do in 2022. We passed the budget for 2022, a budget for consolidation of what we have been able to achieve in 2020, when we had an implementation of 100%.

"2022 has just finished, another 100% implementation of budget and we're looking forward to ensure that the 2022 budget is also implemented by 100%."

He, therefore, cautioned politicians against overheating the polity ahead of the 2023 general election, noting that there must be a peaceful and stable country first before any politician could be assured of taking over government through an election.

According to him, the government has been trying to put the country in shape through the full

implementation of the budget, even as he observed that when the economy and country were stabilised, people would have a place to contest elections.

Calling on citizens to shun partisianship and work towards making the country better organised, he noted that the country would have been in a better condition by now but for the two recessions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Today, we are happy to say that we're still making progress, but would have done far better if we hadn't had the COVID interruption.

So, I believe that as a nation, we are moving in the right direction and President Muhammadu Buhari is giving us the leadership that we need and all that we need to do is to continue to support our leaders, continue to support our government and it’s in the best interest of everyone.

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CONSTRUCTION OF THE EDO LABOUR HOUSE...

L-R: Chairman, Edo State Chapter of the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Marshal Orhue; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and Chairman, Edo State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Odion Olaye, during an inspection of ongoing construction of the Edo Labour House Complex, in Benin City...yesterday

Be Alive to Your Responsibilities, Buhari Reads Riot Act to Security Chiefs Says they should go after terrorists, eliminate them Deji Elumoye in Abuja About a week after he reprimanded the military for not justifying the investment in them, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, charged the heads of military and other security agencies in the country to be alive to their briefs by going after the terrorists

troubling the peace of the nation and eliminating them.

The president read the Riot Act to the security agencies while speaking to newsmen shortly after joining other Muslim faithful to observe the Eid prayers at the Mambila Barracks Parade Ground, Abuja, in commemoration of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr.

Obaseki, Ehanire Seek Increased Private Partnership to Improve Healthcare The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire have called for more private sector involvement in achieving a strong and effective healthcare system that will guarantee delivery of quality and efficient healthcare services to citizens.

According to a statement yesterday, the duo made the call during a dinner organised for members of the Association of Nigeria Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) who were in Edo State on a one-week medical mission, providing specialised healthcare services to the people of Edo State.

During the medical mission, over 5,000 Edo residents benefitted from the free surgical intervention and treatments for heart, kidney, eye and other ailments.

Hailing the association for the free medical outreach, Obaseki said the mission provided better healthcare for Edo people.

He said, “We have received the fundamental benefit of hope to Edo people as you gave renewed life to Edo people. You also engaged in capacity building as you interchanged skills and made your colleagues here locally improve their knowledge. They have learned new ways of doing things. You have brought a new way of commitment and dedication to duty.

"You have fulfilled your call of service to humanity as the team restored lives during this mission by providing free medical service.”

The governor noted that the activities of ANPA in Edo State have helped the government to rethink the issue of brain drain,

adding, “You are in the position to help us tackle brain drain. This mission has been so helpful as I believe that we can do two missions per year. Your services to Edo people are invaluable to the healthcare regeneration of our state and country at large.”

He further stated, "To transform or reform any healthcare system in the world, we must focus on the people. It’s about the quality of human capacity and development.

I am grateful to God that we have you. We need to organise ourselves to receive the value you are ready to give us.”

On his part, Ehanire commended the collaboration between ANPA and the state government, noting, “Nigeria suffers from brain drains as the country’s medical personnel have left to practice abroad. It's difficult to stop them despite several plans as it affects not only Nigeria but across the globe.”

He added, “I applaud the plan for telemedicine which has been experimented in America during the COVID-19 era with the help of technology which became very useful over there. Technology allows for virtual consultation between experts in the Diaspora and their patients here in Nigeria.

"We would like to institutionalise such a relationship to enable us share knowledge and skills and begin to develop the health sector here in Nigeria. We are waiting for the signature of the president to create the National Health Insurance Commission that will make health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians and increase the physical space for health.”

Fielding questions from reporters after returning to the State House, Abuja, from the prayer ground, Buhari declared that, "Heads of the services: Army, Navy, Air Force, the InspectorGeneral of Police and so on, are very much aware of the situation.

It’s their duties to know where the terrorists are and eliminate them.”

He said his administration would continue to work to make the country safe for Nigerians, adding that, it was important to make

the country safe, especially, as the rains have started coming, noting that farmers must be assured of their safety as they returned to the farms, thereby securing the country’s food production.

“We’ll continue to make the environment secure, especially, when the rainy season is coming, so that farmers can go back to their farms and we wouldn’t have problem of food security,” he said.

Commenting on the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the country, the President reaffirmed

the commitment of his administration to free, fair and transparent process.

Asked on who he would like to hand over to as President, President Buhari said, “The person that Nigerians elect.”

In his message during the Eid service, the acting Chief Imam of Mambila Barracks, Dahiru Shua Mohammed, stressed the need for genuine repentance from sin by all, love for one another, forgiveness, tolerance and constant prayers to Allah as the weapon against all

adversities of life.

The cleric further emphasised that extra efforts must be made in obeying the commandments of Allah, exercising patience at all times for his sake, as well as maintaining the competition in good deeds for humanity, nature, cooperation and brotherhood.

Special prayers were also offered for an end to the various challenges bedeviling the country, peaceful 2023 elections, as well as sustainable national unity, stability and prosperity.

Insecurity: IG Orders Enhanced Aerial Surveillance, Deploys Helicopters PSC commissioner wants emergency funding for police Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, yesterday, ordered the deployment of four helicopters to embark on enhanced aerial surveillance and patrol to support its operatives, who have been deployed to intensify patrol and ensure adequate security for all and sundry across the country.

This came as a Commissioner representing the South-east geopolitical zone in the Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Onyemuche Nnamani, called for

emergency funding forthe Nigeria Police, saying the Nigerian Police Trust Fund (NPTF) set up to cater to the needs of the force had failed to deliver.

A statement by Force Headquarters said the IG, in furtherance of his directive and commitment to continually providing security, released funds and required logistics to facilitate the operations.

"We urge Nigerians to remain calm, go about their lawful businesses and celebrations and render necessary help to our officers and men on duty while we continue to

sustain our patrols. We are available to serve you even better at all times," it said.

Meanwhile, the PSC Commissioner, Nnamani, who called for emergency funding for the Nigeria Police to enable it withstand the debilitating security challenges facing the nation, said, "the Nigeria Police of today needs direct emergency funding so as to be properly trained, equipped and motivated to secure the Nigerian space."

He also called for a presidential approval for further recruitment

2023: Nigeria Needs Credible Leaders That Can Do Better Than Us, Says Masari Francis Sardauna in Katsina Miffed by the current security and economic challenges besetting the country, the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, yesterday, said the nation needed credible leaders in 2023 that could do better than them and effectively contain the challenges.

Masari, who addressed journalists shortly after he participated in Eid-el-Fitr prayers at the Dan Fodio Mosque, Modoji-Katsina, reiterated that the nation needed

leaders that could tackle its myriad of challenges.

The former speaker of the House of Representatives, reaffirmed that there was a need for electors to elect leaders, who would make Nigeria work better and transform its fortunes for the benefit of all citizens.

"Like I always say, the success of this administration is bringing in leaders, who will perform better than us. That is when we will say our country, our state, is progressing. We want leaders

that will be better than what we are doing today. Then, our country will be better," he said.

According to him, the economic meltdown occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19, insecurity as well as the falling of oil prices due to high demand for energy, had negatively affected the growth and development of the country.

He, therefore, urged all Nigerians to intensify prayers for national peace and work towards a violence-free and credible elections.

of additional 20,000 young men and women every year to avail the force more manpower to contain the present security crisis in the country.

Nnamani lamented that the police’s strength was depleted and not enough to police a vast nation such as Nigeria especially, in the wake of various contending banditry and terror attacks in the country.

"If it is a fact that we have no more money to spend for the police, then, the federal government should temporarily suspend some of the gigantic projects it has continued to approve funds for every Wednesday at its Federal Executive Council meetings and rechannel such funds to empowering the police for effective and efficient policing.

"There must be security of lives and property in the country before any meaningful development programme can succeed. You have to secure the public space before any meaningful investment can thrive", he said, Adding that some of the projects recently approved at the FEC meetings could wait to allow funds release for the police to fight insecurity.

"Government should fund the police directly and monitor how this funding is used," he said.

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Police Arrest Nine Suspected Kidnappers in Ekiti Forest Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Acting on tip off from members of the public, the Police in Ekiti State have arrested nine suspected kidnappers that were allegedly terrorising the state in recent time.

The Police Commissioner, Ekiti Command, Mr. Moronkeji Adesina, said this in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, ASP Sunday Abutu yesterday.

Those arrested, according to Adesina were: Hassan Mesaje, Dagogo Nadahi, Saidi Laun, Abubakar Usman, Lawal Abdullahi, Usman Ibrahim, Idris Ahmed, Usman Abubakar and Dahiru Adamu.

Adesina said some members of the criminal gang bolted during the operation, assuring that the police were on their trail.

Recounting how the operation was undertaken, the CP said following intelligence gathering and surveillance activities, the Command operatives, on 29th of April, 2022, at about 1pm bombarded the sprawling forest at Ago Aduloju, along

Ijan road, in Ado-Ekiti , where the hoodlums attacked the operatives with dangerous weapons.

He said: “As part of the ongoing strategic effort of the Ekiti State Police Command

to rid the State of criminal elements with the aim of ensuring the security of lives and properties of the good people of Ekiti State, the Command operatives heavily bombarded vast forest known

to be habouring bandits in the State.

“One of the operatives sustained serious injury in an attempt to arrest the suspects.

“Those arrested were rounded up and we are on

the search of those that ran away. The long arm of the law shall catch up with them”, the CP vowed.

Adesina while assuring residents that the Command will not relent in its

fight against crimes and criminalities in the State, sought the support and cooperation of all and sundry through the provision of timely and useful information to the police.

BALANCE MAGAZINE AWARDS…

L-R: Ex-Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi; Kimberly Nwachukwu of NigerianInfo; Publisher, Balance Magazine, Mr. Dayo Omoogun; Columnist, Mrs. Ngozi Igwe, and Managing Director, Alford Conferences, Mr. Frederick Apeji, at the Balance Magazine Excellence Awards held in Abuja...yesterday

Sit-at-Home: Gunmen Kill Dearth of Top Officers Affects Immigration Service Operations Policeman, Two Others in Anambra Communities

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

At least three persons have lost their lives in Anambra State in two communities in what was said to be a violation of the Monday sit-at-home exercise.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had few months back announced every Monday to observe the sit-at-home exercise in protest to the extraordinary repatriation of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from Kenya last year.

The exercise registered huge compliance, mostly as a result of fear, as residents feared to be attacked by members of the group, but it later called off the exercise, but some unidentified persons wielding guns have continued to enforce compliance to the exercise.

Yesterday, while one person was shot dead in Utuh, Nnewi South Local Government Area, two others were shot dead at

Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area.

The men were said to have been shot by gunmen, who allegedly protested their violation of the sit-at-home exercise.

The two incidences were confirmed by the Anambra State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed it, saying one of the two men shot in Ozubulu was a policeman.

According to him, “Our men have been deployed to the venue of the incident in Ozubulu. One of the men has been identified as a policeman, while the second is yet to be identified.

“Our men also recovered a vehicle at the scene of the incident, but we are not yet sure the ownership of the vehicle- whether it belongs to the victims or the assailants.

The men have been deposited in a morgue.

Some Nigerians have decried the current level of poor performance of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) which they attributed to dearth of senior officers to man sensitive positions in the organisation.

They made the criticism while recounting their experiences to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

One of them is a Nigerian, who returned from Europe to renew his international passport, which had some two months to expire.

The respondent, who simply called his name Ibrahim, expressed sadness with the frustration he experienced in the service Headquarters to renew his passport yet could not be attended to.

He said after struggling to obtain his National Identification Number (NIN), a precondition for the passport renewal, the service said he could only apply for the document and return in two weeks for image capturing.

The Diaspora Nigerian told

NAN that he felt embarrassed that an office which was dealing with citizens with international exposure could be talking about staggered processes in the issuance of passports.

“This office is toying with the future of its citizens if it fails to issue travelling documents promptly on request; is it that it does not have the manpower to carry out its primary responsibility. ‘’Nigerians abroad chose to return home to update their documents as most of the

times the passport booklets are not available in their countries of residence. ‘’NIS prefers to issue temporary travel permits for a foreign-based applicant to come home even after the person had paid a fee that is higher than the main passport booklet.

“This is unacceptable.’’

Visits to some passport processing offices of the service showed that a lot of applicants turned up and would spend the whole day without success.

Buhari Tweets First Time Since Nigeria Lifted Twitter Ban

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday tweeted for the first time since the country lifted the ban it imposed on Twitter in June last year.

The federal government had placed a ban on the social media platform after it deleted the tweets of Buhari. The tweets, which referenced the Nigerian Civil War, threatened to deal with those behind insecurity in the “language they understand.”

Although the government

insisted that the ban was not linked to the deleted tweets, the suspension was not lifted until early January 2022.

And for the first since the lifting of the ban, Buhari yesterday took to the platform to share photos of himself observing the Eid-el-Fitr prayer with the Muslim faithful at the Mambila Barracks Parade Ground in Abuja.

In a series of tweets in commemoration of Eid-el-Fitr, the Nigerian leader, who was

accompanied by his family and aides, spoke about the fight against insurgency.

While the fight has been tough and long, victory, Buhari said, is within reach.

“After a period of fasting and reflection, this year, we have cause to welcome the occasion in hope.

The battle waged against terrorists who falsely masquerade under the name of Islam is approaching its conclusion,” he said.

“The fight has been long and

hard. Final victory is within sight.

Boko Haram and its offshoots’ final embers are now fading. Last month, the leader of ISWAP was killed in an airstrike. Since the New Year, thousands of fighters have surrendered.

“The territories they used to occupy are now seeing the return of those who were forced to flee their barbarity. Normality is finally beginning to return to the Northeast.

It is a long process. Yet it is one we are, together, now embarking upon.

2023: ‘Why APC May Not Collapsed Building: Body of Female Corp Member, Recovered as Death Toll Rises to 10 Zone Presidency to South’ Infant found dead.

Meanwhile, only 23 persons 200 metres away from the accident Rebecca Ejifoma Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Director General (DG) of Voice of Nigeria (VON) and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has given reasons while the ruling party may not zone its presidency to the south.

He explained that the APC was shifting away from implementing the party’s earlier zoning format of swapping offices between north and south, as declared by Governor Nasir el-Rufai before the March 26 National Convention was because the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) decided to jettison its zoning arrangement.

Okechukwu stated this in a statement issued yesterday while reacting to regional socio-cultural groups - the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Afenifere Renewal Group and Ohanaeze

that recently accused APC of playing hanky-panky with the zoning of the Presidency to the South.

The party chieftain noted that Nigerians should hold the PDP responsible if the 2023 presidency is not zoned to the South.

His words: “Although one is not holding the brief of our distinguished national Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, one’s little understanding is that the leadership of our great party, is watching closely the desperation and antics of our elder sister political party, the PDP. “As a corollary, APC seems to have adopted the cat and mouse game, because if the PDP adopts the terra firma or doctrine of realpolitik, which places electoral victory above their constitution, the moral high ground and ethics of their members and supporters in the South; APC wants to do the pragmatic thing.”

The bodies of a female corp member identified as Oluwakemi and a four-year-old infant were, yesterday recovered from the rubble of the collapsed three-storey building at 24 Ibadan Street in Oyingbo area of Lagos.

With the death toll at 10, emergency responders confirmed that three female adults, six male adults, and one male infant were

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, the father of the National Youth Service Corp member identified his daughter’s remains among the casualties.

He said: “The body of the corp member was identified by her father. We evacuated it already.

We found her phone in her hand.”

have been rescued so far.

“Search and rescue operations are currently on to try to save more lives,” Farinloye said.

The NEMA coordinator further noted that the Nigeria Red Cross operations attended to those rescued persons.

While the team of rescuers are trying to save more lives trapped in the debris, another three-storey building at 100 Lagos Street, about

scene, has been said to show signs of distress.

With part of the structure falling off, Farinloye told newsmen that the building has also been marked as distressed.

“But the occupants were deviant. However, the building has re-sealed and were occupants evacuated by Officers Lagos State Buildings Control Agency (LABSCA),” Farinloye said.

Ondo PDP, Akeredolu Biker over Plot to Deduct Workers’ Salaries Fidelis David in Akure

Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), have been trading words over an alleged fresh plot by the governor to deduct the state workers’ salaries to fund the state Security Network Agency codenamed ‘Amotekun Corps’.

The PDP in a statement signed by the party Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, alleged that the state workers are the most pauperised and traumatised in South-west region, despite being the only oil producing state in the region, saying such move from the state government was inhumane and unacceptable.

The party said: “Salaries are not

paid as at when due, and when paid at all, only fractions are paid.

As at the last count, some workers received November 2021 salary in April, 2022. This in itself is bad enough, yet the governor can have the audacity and effrontery to contemplate increasing the agony experienced by workers in the state.

“A circular stating how much is to be deducted from all grade

levels showed clearly that the governor is highly insensitive to the suffering of the workers. What exactly does the governor spend his huge security vote on, if he has to depend on sacrifices from workers to provide security for the state? We urge Akeredolu to be more frugal with handling of the finances of Ondo State so as not to impoverish the workers further.

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Eid-el-Fitr: Jonathan, Emmanuel, Tambuwal, Fayemi Felicitate Muslims Former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Governors of Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, and Ekiti States, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Aminu Tambuwal and Kayode Fayemi respectively, have felicitated Muslims on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

Jonathan, in a statement, prayed for peace and hoped that the supplications of the Muslim faithful will be accepted for the good of our country.

“Congratulations to the Muslim Ummah on the successful completion of Ramadan. “May all the supplications of our Muslim brothers and sisters be accepted and may the blessings of Ramadan abide with us all. May we experience peace, prosperity and joy in all spheres of life. Let us remember those in need as we celebrate and pray for the stability of our nation,” he said.

Similarly, Governor Emmanuel urged Muslims to reflect on the virtues of Ramadan for the wellbeing of the individual and the overall good of the society.

“The month of Ramadan is the month of forgiveness; we must learn to forgive and pursue peace with our fellow human beings. Ramadan preaches giving, especially from the

rich to the poor. This promotes the idea of redistribution of wealth for a more equitable society.

“Ramadan is the month of holy living where the faithful run away from sin and live a life of piety and

abstinence,” he said.

On his part, Tambuwal thanked Almighty Allah for seeing them through despite difficulties and hardship associated with the fasting. “ I am indeed, elated to address

you on this great and memorable occasion of the Eid-ell fitr Sallah Celebration, which marks the end of the obligatory fasting in the blessed month of Ramadan for the year 1443 AH,” he stated.

“We must thank Allah that despite the difficult weather and the attendant economic difficulty, coupled with the inflation that affects the prices of goods and services, we are, by God’s grace, able to see

through the period. Certainly, our reward will come from Allah, Who does not require our worship for Himself but rather, so that it will benefit us here and in the hereafter,” he added.

MOVING AGAINST CORRUPTION…

L-R: Sectorial Head, Extractive Industry Section, Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC), Mr. Awolusi Moses; Principal Manager, Compliance Department, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr. Olumide Ologe; Associate Director, Intelligence and Investigative Support,NFIU, Mrs. Biola Shotunde; Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, and Civil Society Representative/NEITI National Stakeholder Working Group, Mr. Peter Egbule, at the one-day policy dialogue on beneficial ownership implementation organised by CISLAC in Lagos… yesterday ETOP UKUTT

Lagos CP Warns NURTW PDP Guber Aspirant Calls for Continuous Prayers to End Insecurity against Breach of Peace John Shiklam in Kaduna

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, yesterday cautioned that anyone found fomenting trouble in the state would be promptly apprehended and made to face the law.

This warning became imperative following incessant clashes, fracas and malicious damage to property recently experienced in some parts of the state mostly linked to the issues surrounding the management of motor parks.

In a press statement the Police Spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin issued, Alabi confirmed

meeting with the major contenders like Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo and Azeez Abiola aka Istijaba, separately in his office.

He further admonished them to prevail on their teeming followers to act within the confines of the law, saying he is poised to ensuring the security currently being enjoyed in the state remains intact.

In line with this stance, all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and tactical commanders have been directed to deal decisively with anyone found instigating or causing a breach of peace within their respective areas of responsibility (AoR).

Kogi Gov Tasks Clerics, Leaders to Pray for Peace, Unity

Ibrahim Oyewale inLokoja

Kogi State governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello has urged all those in positions of authority and religious leaders to continue to pray for peace and unity in Nigeria, adding that the country will be great again.

Governor Bello made this call while speaking in a chat with Journalists shortly after two- Rakat eid el Fitr prayers at President Muhammadu Buhari Civic centre in Lokoja yesterday, stating the government would continue to tackle the hydra-headed insecurity to restore confidence in the minds of Nigerians.

Bello, however, congratulated the Muslim ummah for the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan, praying to Allah to accept all their acts of ibadah during the holy month of Ramadan.

He pointed out that the central message for this year-end of Ramadan fasting is the message of hope and message of hope, the message of peace, unity and message of security “I urged every one of our people to cooperate with the government and all the leaders of our country.

Let there be peace, let there be unity.

Continue to cooperate with all the law enforcement agencies.”

Bible Society Celebrates National Bible Day

As part of the activities for the celebration of National Bible Day by the Christian community on May 5, 2022, the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has planned to distribute free Bibles.

Commenting, the General Secretary/CEO of the BSN, Pastor Samuel Sanusi, said: “Our socio-economic and security challenges as a nation will be greatly reduced if people adopt and live by prescribed biblical principles in all human relations.”

According to him, if the global community could celebrate

Workers’ Day, Independence Day, Water Day, Literacy Day, and other days, set aside to be remembered, it will be ideal to also use a day to celebrate the Bible, a gift from God to humanity and pray for the wellbeing of the nation.

According to the BSN Manager, Media and PR, Benjamin Mordi, the day, which has been set aside to celebrate the gift of the Bible to Christendom and humanity at large, is to enable Nigerians to use the day to reflect on and imbibe the values prescribed by the Holy Book.

A governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna state, Hon. Isa Ashiru, has called for continuous prayers to end the security challenges facing the state.

In a message yesterday marking, Id-el Fitr, Ashiru urged Muslims to continue to hold on to the lessons learnt during the Ramadan period.

He said: “It is yet another Id-el Fitr, which marks the end of

the holy month of Ramadan; a month in which we, as Muslims, are required to show utmost devotion to the worship of almighty Allah subhanahu wata’ala.

“Ramadan provides an opportunity for all Muslims to demonstrate humility, kindness, patience and such other virtues that are the basic components of an Islamic faith. “It is the best period for a deep reflection on the noble teachings of Islam which are meant to bring out

the best in all of us.

“It is therefore, my sincere prayer that almighty Allah has graciously accepted all our acts of Ibadat during the last Ramadan.

“May He also continue to guide and protect us so that we can overcome all the challenges that are threatening to cripple us as individuals and as a country.

“While I congratulate us on this occasion, l also specifically pray to Allah to bring to an end the prevailing security and other

challenges in our dear Kaduna State and, by extension, Nigeria.

“It is my strong hope that we will continue to live in a Ramadan mood in terms of our relationship with our Creator and fellow human beings.

“We should not allow the lessons we have learnt during the period to desert us.

May almighty Allah spare our lives to witness many more Ramadan and Id-el Fitr. I pray for His forgiveness and abundant blessings for all of us.”

Muslims Mark Eid-el- Fitr amid Tight Security in Ilorin Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Security operatives yesterday mounted tight security in and around Ilorin Eid praying ground as Muslims marked the end of Ramadan fast.

The security agencies were drafted to the praying ground to maintain law and order and ensure a hitch free celebration in the Ilorin, the state capital.

The security operatives at the venue of the Ilorin Eid praying ground included soldiers, policemen and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil

Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The Kwara State Police Command had on Friday banned any form of praise singing and political campaigns at the praying ground, apparently to forestall any break down of law and order.

The security personnel besieged the praying ground and its environs in large numbers, controlling vehicular movement and guiding faithful Muslims to the praying ground.

The State Governor, Mr. AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, and top members of his cabinet attended the prayer session.

The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and his high chiefs were also at the prayer ground while the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Mohammed Bashir Salihu led the two-rakah prayers.

In his sallah message, Governor AbdulRazaq congratulated Muslims on the completion of Ramadan fast which ultimately heralded the Eid-el-Fitr.

The governor described the days and nights of the month as ones like no other during which the Muslims proudly competed to outdo one another in good

deeds.

“I congratulate our Muslim brethren, and especially the leader of the faithful in Kwara State, the Emir of Ilorin Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari. It is my prayer to Almighty Allah to accept it as a worthy act of worship, accept all our supplications in and after Ramadan, set our country on the path of improved security and greatness, grant us the grace to observe many more of Ramadan in good health and best of faith, and reward us with Al-Jannah Firdaus,” AbdulRazaq said.

Oyo Senator, Balogun, Resigns from PDP Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Senator Kola Balogun, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The senator recently alleged that he was denied second term ticket by Governor Seyi Makinde. The resignation of the senator was contained in a letter

addressed to the chairman of the party in Ward 12, Ibadan North-East Local Government Area.

According to a statement the letter, dated 28 April, 2022, received and acknowledged by the PDP Ward Chairman, Tijani Wasiu, on 29 April, 2022.

However, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development, did not state his reason for

leaving the party.

Senator Balogun, in the letter, titled, “Letter of Resignation From The Peoples Democratic Party”, said the resignation took effect from 28 April, 2022.

He thanked the party for giving him the opportunity to serve Oyo South Senatorial District in the ninth Senate of the National Assembly.

Senator Balogun said he enjoyed the cooperation of

the PDP leadership and its members throughout the month of April and wished the party the best of luck.

“I, Senator Dr. Kola Balogun, senator presently representing Oyo South Senatorial District at the 9th Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja, hereby tender my membership resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria, with effect from today 28th April, 2022.

2023: Dosunmu Vows to Dislodge APC in Lagos Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Dr. Shamsudeen Ade Dosunmu, has vowed to dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) from power in the state if given the opportunity

to fly the PDP’s flag in the 2023 elections.

Dosunmu is one of the six aspirants successfully screened by the PDP to contest the party’s governorship ticket in Lagos State for the 2023 elections. The other aspirants are AbdulAzeez Adediran, David Kolawole, Jimi Karmal, Adedeji Doherty, and

Rhodes Gbadebo.

The party had fixed May 21 for the conduct of its governorship primary elections.

Speaking with his supporters shortly after his successful screening, Dosunmu reiterated his earlier call on the need for all stakeholders to forge a united front to end poor governance

in the state and actualise the objectives of the party in the state.

Dosunmu, who holds the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) for his contributions to national development, is reputed to be a tested strategist and administrator with strong professional, academic and family pedigree.

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IoD Points Ways to Successfully Implement PIA The Institute of Directors (IoD) yesterday highlighted important areas to be reviewed by the authorities to engender the successful implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

President of IoD, Dr Ije Jidenma, gave the advice in a policy paper titled: “Making the Petroleum Industry Act work: A Position Paper,” in Lagos.

Jidenma said that while there was no such thing as a perfect piece of legislation, recent events pointed to implementation ‘headwinds.’

She stressed that Nigeria in its implementation of the PIA must send the right signals consistent with the outlined noble objectives.

Jidenma outlined the institute’s concern with its implementation to include stalled downstream deregulation, implementation complexities, need for gas investment incentivising, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues.

According to her, the federal government’s decision to stall the Act raised further questions on section 53 (7) which requires “NNPC Ltd and any of its subsidiaries to conduct their affairs on a commercial basis in a profitable and efficient manner without recourse to government funds.”

This, she said, was

highlighted in view of the sum of $341 billion (or N1.43 trillion) which was reported to had been spent in 2021 on petroleum subsidy.

Jidenma tasked government to create an enabling environment that would make

implementation of deregulation easier and readily acceptable.

“Pending their full privatisation, government must fast-track the ongoing full rehabilitation of refineries to ensure that the import freight element in the price of product

is minimised; “Government should review the current fuel pricing mechanism and must as a matter of urgency, work on removing all the inefficiencies and distortions that are negatively impacting

the landing costs of products,” she said.

She noted that feedback from the business community suggested that some aspects of the Act might prove difficult to implement in practice because of inherent complications.

Jidenma cited two examples that would suffice as: the hydrocarbon tax and Company Income Tax (CIT) overlap and conversion from existing Oil Prospecting License (OPLs) to the new Petroleum Prospecting License (PPLs).

KATCHEY LABORATORY’S OPENING…

L-R: Assistant General Manager, Katchey Company Limited, Lagos, Stella Adiegwu; General Manager, Katchey Company Limited, Lawrence Nwosu; Chief Executive Officer, Katchey Group, Kate Isa; CEO, Bloom Public Health, Prof. Chimezie Anyakoru, and General Manager Katchey Laboratory Limited, Anthony Iroulor, during the press conference for inauguration of Katchey Laboratory Limited in Lagos... yesterday SUNDAY ADIGUN

Group Alleges Fake Protesters’ Edo Flags Off Neonatal Mortality Initiative, Trains Medical Personnel being organised by the Edo State “The ANPA medical mission the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led Emenyonu in Benin City Government and the Association addressed indigent people in the administration has put in place Plan to Storm APC Secretariat Adibe The Wife of Edo State Governor, of Nigerian Physicians in the state; those who can’t afford the machinery to make Edo the new Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has flagged Americas (ANPA), in collaboration care they deserve. The treatment medical tourism destination.” against Abiodun Charging doctors, nurses and off the ‘Helping Babies Survive’ with the Edo First Lady’s ‘Make is from world-class doctors from James Sowole in Abeokuta

A group, Grassroots Democratic initiatives (GDI), has alerted the Nigerian public to what it called a sinister plot by disgruntled elements parading themselves as human rights activists to protest against the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.

The alleged sinister plan was revealed in a statement signed by the group National Coordinator, Oluwafemi Johnson.

The group said intelligence reports at its disposal indicated that the protest, which was initially planned for May 2, 2022, has now been shifted to May 4, 2022, adding that some fake activists have been mobilised for such purpose.

According to the statement, the plan is to present a petition against the governor to the APC National Chairman,

Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to demand that he (Abiodun) should not be allowed to contest the 2023 governorship election.

Johnson said: “The recourse to the use of faceless activists to protest against the governor is another strategy being employed by Abiodun’s political adversaries, which is in consonance with their plan to disparage and demarket him in continuation of their avowed commitment to stop him from having a second term.

“This sinister plan has been allegedly traced to Abiodun’s predecessor in office and a serving senator. Why is this senator so desperate and bent on disparaging Prince Abiodun by casting aspersions on his character and integrity?

“We see the recourse to this tactic as a ploy by the man to rescue himself from political oblivion. It has also exposed his political irrelevance in the state.”

Ramadan: Tinubu Distributes Bags of Rice, Sugar to over 50,000 Families Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the spirit of charitable giving that accompanies the Ramadan season, has distributed bags of Rice and Sugar to over 50,000 families across Nigeria.

The distribution of these items which began last week, put smiles on the faces of beneficiaries with many expressing thanks through prayers for Asiwaju.

Speaking about Ramadan earlier in April, the former Lagos governor emphasised on the need to “contribute to the wellbeing of those around us, give succor to people we find in need and

study more how to solve problems instead of creating them,”.

He added: “Let us keep in the forefront of our minds that Ramadan also asks of us to show greater compassion, empathy and understanding, and enlightenment in how we treat and relate to one another.”

“Ramadan asks of all of us to embrace acts of kindness, love our neighbors and reach out to the poor, needy and unfortunate among us.”

“Our nation is one gifted

by Allah with bountiful resources and a good and decent people.”

training aimed at reducing the incidence of neonatal mortality in the state.

Mrs. Obaseki said that the state government is training health personnel in the state to equip them with specialised knowledge to tackle deaths of babies between one to 30 days old.

She said that the programme is

No Pikin Die for Edo’ initiative.

Declaring the programme open, the wife of the state governor said Nigeria is the second largest contributor to neonatal deaths after India.

She added: “This statistics and data have prompted me to commit to the fight against the scourge, starting from Edo State.

America and will cost millions of naira. The free medical mission is not for the politicians or rich people but for the poor as the value is unquantifiable.

“The focus is for the poor and we insisted it must be at the grassroots and three PHCs in Benin. The medical mission is a life changer for Edo people as

other health personnel at the training to put into practice all they learnt at the sessions, the first lady noted, “it’s expected that they use the skills they get from the training to impact positively and help tackle the issue of neonatal death in the state. This death is prevalent in rural areas and there is a need to put it under check.

Gunmen Kill, Behead Two Soldiers in Imo

Gunmen killed two soldiers last Saturday at an unknown location in Imo State, Nigeria’s Southeast. The victims were named as A. M. Linus, a Sergeant of the Nigerian Army, and his unidentified wife, who is said to be a lance corporal in the Army.

Both of them were reportedly beheaded after being shot dead by the gunmen and their corpses dismembered. A gory image of their heads has gone viral on

various social media platforms.

The gunman said they were aggrieved that the military has been consistently killing innocent residents in efforts to attack them (gunmen).

“It’s quite unfortunate that it is this way. I killed both of them yesterday,” the suspected gunman was heard saying in a phone conversation that has gone viral on the social media.

As the caller burst into tears

after hearing that her friend and her husband had been killed by the gunmen, the gunman was heard making a joke of her.

Confirming the attack, Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu said that military authorities had received information about the killing of two of their personnel.

According to Nwachukwu, the military personnel were travelling for their “traditional

marriage formalities” in Imo State when they were attacked by the gunmen.

The army spokesperson said authorities of the Nigerian Army had commenced investigations “to unmask and bring to book the criminals behind the murder.”

Attacks by gunmen have increased in the South-east in recent times. The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.

Blue Print Newspaper Publisher, Malagi, May Emerge Niger APC Guber Candidate Laleye DipoinMinna There are strong indications that the All Progressives Congress (APC) might have settled for the publisher of Blue Print Newspapers Limited, Mr. Ibrahim Idris Malagi, as its gubernatorial standard bearer for the 2023governorship election in Niger State.

This followed the presence of top wigs of the APC in the state, including close relations of the Niger

State Governor, Mr. Abubakar Sani Bello, at the unveiling of Malagi’s governorship campaign office in Minna last weekend.

Those at the event included a prominent leader of APC in the state from the Niger South Senatorial Zone, Mr. Abubakar Magaji; an Uncle OF the State Governor, Mr. Sani Basket; a relation of former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Mr Yakubu Abdulsalami, amongst

others Political observers in the state believed that with the presence of these top politicians, and especially with their large following within the party and their various communities, Malagi might be coasting home with the APC governorship ticket.

Magaji, who is also a respected elder of the party in the state, in a brief remark at the ceremony, applauded the presence of

prominent party men in the state at the ceremony before describing the aspirant as “the best aspirant who has sustained his movement for about two years now.”

He also expressed satisfaction at the way and manner the Malagi campaign team has conducted itself all along before asking the people of the state “to support and give him the mandate during the forthcoming primaries for the betterment of the party and state.”

Chi Farms Doubles Meat Processing Operation Ugo Aliogo

One of the leading agribusiness company in Nigeria and a member of TGI Group, Chi Farms Limited, recently announced that in keeping with its vision to continue to expand food production in Nigeria.

The company in a statement stated that it has doubled its meat processing operations.

The Chi Farms, Dr. Tunji Olaitan, Managing Director, said: “The doubling of our operations is aimed at meeting the growing demand for our safe, healthy and affordable foods available to all categories of our esteemed customers. We want to make our products available to capture and build a healthy population that will continually drive our business through

their patronage. We want to encourage the consumption of healthy foods, with a focus to reduce the risk of increased health-related issues traced to the ingestion of unwholesome and unsafe foods.”

The Executive Director - Chi Farms, Martin Middernacht, commented on customers demand and Chi Farms’ focus on quality.

He said: “Doubling our production is a needed move to address and meet customers’ demands. This shows a good index of our scalability and sustainability, achieved as a result of our uncompromised brand image in meeting and satisfying our customers’ needs.

Our foremost priority is the quality and safety of each product.”

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TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

FIFA Fines Nigeria N64m, Bars Fans from Eagles Clash with S’Leone at Abuja Stadium Duro Ikhazuagbe

World football governing body, FIFA, has imposed a fine of $150,000 (about N 64million) on Nigeria following the disturbances that followed Super Eagles 1-1 draw with Ghana in a 2022 World Cup playoff at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

That draw led to the non qualification of Nigeria for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In addition to the fine, fans

WORLD CUP FALLOUT have been barred from the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja as Nigeria will play host to Sierra Leone in the first qualifying match of the 2023 AFCON next month.

In a letter sent to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on May 1, 2022, FIFA approved the edifice to host the qualifier against Sierra Leone but without fans as punishment for the fracas

that took place after Ghana snatched the ticket to Qatar 2022 on the away goal rule.

This approval has now put to an end speculations in the local media that the Abuja Stadium will be barred from hosting international matches in the wake of the crowd disturbances.

Over 60,000 fans crammed into the stadium in that Nigeria's last game of the qualifiers for

the World Cup in Qatar.

Naturally, after Super Eagles held the Ghanaians to a goalless draw in the first leg in Kumasi, the home fans were expecting nothing short of victory and the ticket to Nigeria's seventh World Cup appearance after making debut at USA '94.

But the Black Stars stunned the hosts, racing to an early minute lead through Arsenal

star, Thomas Partey.

William Troost-Ekong cancelled out the goal but Eagles failed to get a second goal to earn them the ticket.

The failure was too hard for the fans to swallow. They resorted to destruction of the edifice that hosted the All African Games in 2003. By the time dust settled, the damage done to the facility was estimated to cost a

couple of millions of Naira to fix.

Poor crowd control by the security agents at the stadium worsen the situation. They lacked proper training in handling such a crowd and were thoroughly overwhelmed.

It was this that led to speculations in the local media that the stadium may not witness any international game in the foreseeable future.

Mayweather to Storm Abuja ahead of the Skies of Dubai Fight Floyd Mayweather would be making his first ever visit to the African continent when he storms Abuja on Friday ahead of his ring return at the Skies of Dubai on May 14.

Mayweather's trip was confirmed yesterday in Lagos by his close ally Keane Anis who is in charge of his international tours.

A very excited Anis, a Nigerian further disclosed that the boxing legend may also breeze into Lagos before hitting Dubai for the fight.

Anis said Mayweather would address the press in Abuja and could also pay a courtesy call on Sports Minister, Sunday Dare.

He said the Mayweather

visit would go a long way in promoting boxing not just in the country but the African continent.

"This is all about promoting the game, inspiring the youths and all that," Anis stated.

He stressed that Mayweather has all along been looking forward to visiting Africa even as he added that it is great for that to actualise now.

"I hope he gets a rousing reception in the country," Anis said.

Interestingly, only 30 seats are available at the helipad where the fight against Dangerous Don Moore would be held. Tickets are however available for viewers via www.globaltitans.comand on live_now.com

Samuel Chukwueze (second right) and his Villarreal teammates will attempt to upturn the 2-0 deficit from the first when they clash with Liverpool tonight in Spain

Chukwueze’s Villarreal Seek Perfection to Beat Liverpool

Floyd Mayweather...expected in Nigeria en-route Dubai for a titled clash

Super Eagles winger Samuel Chuwueze’s Villarreal will be aiming to re-enact that form that saw off Juventus and Bayern Munich this evening when they take on Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final second leg this evening.

The Spanish club will first need to cancel out the deficit of two goals they carried here from the first leg in Anfield last week.

The trio of Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu and John Mikel Obi are the only Nigerian players to have lifted the coveted European club football trophy.

Both Finidi and Kanu won it with Ajax in 1995 while Mikel also did same with Chelsea in 2012.

And in both occasions Ajax and Chelsea had to go through

Heineken Takes UCL Magic to Enugu as City Dare Madrid The Coal City of Enugu is next on the cards for the Heineken Champions League magic as Real Madrid and Manchester City are fired up for a winner takes all contest at the Santiago Bernabeau.

Fans and loyal consumers of Heineken are set for an exciting live match viewing experience at the Villa Toscana, Enugu where the international premium brand has guaranteed a fun-filled night.

Manchester City and Real Madrid played out a seven-goal thriller in their first leg meeting at the Etihad Stadium and another explosive encounter

is anticipated in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.

Tonight, Samuel Chukwueze will lead Villarreal’s comeback bid to upturn the 0-2 deficit from the first leg against Liverpool.

With instant giveaways and prizes on offer, fans are guaranteed to be winners in their own right no matter the outcome of the titanic match between Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola’s men.

While the best of music is expected to be dished out by the duo of Ruger and Crowd Kontroller, the presence of football legends Austin Jay Jay

Okocha and Daniel Amokachi will be adding glitz to the night’s glamour.

Senior Brand Manager, Heineken, Chinwe Greg-Egu assured the fans and loyal consumers in Enugu they are in for a great time as she reckons the great successes recorded in Lagos and Asaba during similar campaigns.

“The best of Champions League football and entertainment in an exquisite atmosphere are promises we have kept over the years and would do again on Wednesday in Enugu,” she said.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE difficult second leg semi-final hurdle to reach the final stage.

This is the same situation that Chukwueze, who scored the vital goal that gave his team the edge over Bayern Munich in the crucial quarter final match at the Allianz Arena in Munich, has found himself also.

More worrisome is Villarreal’s 1-2 loss to lowly Alaves in the La Liga. It certainly was not ideal preparation and coach

Unai Emery knows how hard it will be to beat Liverpool, who have only lost three matches this season in all competitions.

"We will need a perfect game to achieve what no other team in Europe accomplished against Liverpool this season," Emery told a news conference yesterday.

"Overturning a two-goal deficit is already complicated against any rivals and much more when your opponent is a team that is almost flawless. We benefit that away goals are not worth double any more so it gives us more

TODAY@8:00pm Villarreal v Liverpool

WEDNESDAY @8:00pm R’Madrid v Man City freedom to attack," he added.

"Homefield advantage there was key and I hope it work the same for us here. We need to be impeccable on defence, better than in Anfield. And we need to find our game, something that we have not achieved in the first leg."

Nigerian-born John Metchie Lands Big American NFL Deal American National Football League (NFL) frontrunner, the Houston Texans has continued assembling their impressive draft haul on Friday night, trading up to the No. 44 pick with the Cleveland Browns, and selecting Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III. The Texans sent the No. 68, 108 and 124 picks to Cleveland, and will keep the 107th pick.

With the addition of Metchie, son of a Nigerian businessman who is currently the President General of Umueri Community in Anambra State, the Texans now add a talented No. 2 wideout to pair with the recently extended Brandin Cooks and give secondyear quarterback Davis Mills a legitimate deep threat in the

passing game.

In his last season at Alabama, Metchie finished third in the SEC with 96 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 11.9 yards per catch.

While speaking about Metchie, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young said “He works extremely hard, carries himself and conducts himself professionally. Ever since I met him on my official visit as a senior in high school, he always conducted himself as a pro. Someone who is going to work day in and day out, someone who is very dynamic and a huge playmaker. I was blessed to have two special guys outside. He is going to be special.”

With his new deal, Metchie now joins an extremely talented

haul of rookies in the 2022 Texans class, joining LSU corner Derek Stingley, Texas A&M offensive lineman Kenyon Green, and Baylor safety Jalen Pitre.

He is also the second wideout from Alabama taken in as many rounds, with Jameson Williams going in the top 10.

Metchie was born in Taiwan.

His mother is Taiwanese and his father Chief Johnny Chukwudi Metchie is from Nigeria and currently the President General of Umueri community in Anambra State.

His family moved to Ghana when he was young, then emigrated to Canada when he was six years old. Metchie left Canada to play high school football in Maryland.

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SPORTS

Feyenoord Fans Contribute to Bankroll Dessers Transfer Fee The supporters of Dutch side, Feyenoord are hell-bent on having their Nigerian import, Cyriel Dessers, continue his adventure at the club at all cost and already contributing to meet the €4 million asking price.

Feyenoord manager, Arne Slot, has indeed reacted to reports that a section of the club’s supporters are crowd-funding the €4 million needed to complete the permanent transfer of the Super Eagles striker.

The Rotterdammers signed Dessers on a loan deal from Genk last summer, with an option to

purchase him before the end of his yearlong spell.

But due to their financial limitations, Feyenoord were not interested in taking that option for the 27-year-old during the first half of the campaign.

Dessers has, however, become a cult hero among Feyenoord fans after building a reputation as a super-sub following a collection of notable last-gasp goals.

The Nigeria international’s status is even reaching a legendary level after scoring 10 European goals – the most in Feyenoord’s history – to

power the Pride of the South to the brink of the Europa Conference League final.

Still, Feyenoord have not shown any willingness to cough out the transfer fee needed to acquire Dessers permanently, despite the striker confessing his desire to remain at De Kuip.

But a Feyenoord fan has seized the initiative by mobilising thousands of other fans to crowdfund Dessers’ transfer fee. More than twenty-five thousand euros (€25,000) have so far been gathered.

Feyenoord boss Slot believes it

is a beautiful gesture from the fans to identify with a player they are pleased with.

But the 43-year-old tactician reveals it would be illegal to accept such money directly from the club’s regular fans.

The former AZ Alkmaar head coach, however, hinted that wealthy supporters could step forward and help Feyenoord acquire Dessers under a different arrangement.

“It shows how extremely compassionate these supporters are and how extremely they value him (Dessers) as a striker,” Slot said, as

per Newswep.

“It is also very nice that more than 25,000 euros have already been deposited, if I understand correctly, that they want to spend their self-earned money on Dessers.

“A really nice move, but it has no chance of success. This is really impossible from a legal, fiscal and regulatory point of view.

“I hope this will be followed by

those much more wealthy men.”

Dessers featured as Feyenoord secured a 3-1 win at Fortuna Sittard on Sunday. The one-cap Nigerian forward and Feyenoord will face Marseille on Thursday in the second leg of their semifinal clash in the Conference League.

Dessers scored twice to power Feyenoord to a 3-2 victory in the first leg at De Kuip last week.

Champions League: Madrid’s Alaba Doubtful against Man City Real Madrid do not expect to have David Alaba available for the Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester City tomorrow evening.

The 29-year-old was withdrawn at half time of the first leg, which City went on to win 4-3, after complaining of pain in his groin and did not feature at the weekend as Real lifted the La Liga title with a 4-0 thumping of Espanyol - although he did bring his trusty chair to the afterparty.

He was always expected to miss the Espanyol game in the hope that he would be fit enough to face City, but things haven't played out that way and now numerous outlets have stated that Alaba is almost certainly not going to make it.

Alaba did not train with the rest of the Real squad on Monday morning, with AS noting that he was inside with both Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard to work on his recovery from injury.

It stressed that Alaba has not

yet been formally ruled out, with the club prepared to give him as much time as possible to prove his fitness, although the reality is that the Austrian is looking highly unlikely to return in time.

Carlo Ancelotti opted to field a hugely rotated squad for the Espanyol game in order to preserve his big names for the City game, with his back four being entirely new.

Neither Eder Militao nor Nacho Fernandez were in the squad for that game, with both being rested with a view to starting here alongside Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal at full-back.

Casemiro filled in at centre-back against Espanyol but should return to his midfield role here, with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric up ahead of him.

Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema began that game on the bench as well but should both return as Real look to overturn the deficit against City.

Cyriel Dessers...Feyenoord fans clamoring for his permanent switch to the Dutch club

South Africa Expects Tough Opener against Nigeria in Morocco Ahead of Group C opening game of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco in July between Nigeria and South Africa, Bayana Bayana Head Coach, Desiree Ellis, is convinced that her side will prove the equal of the Super Falcons when the two teams meet.

Nigeria and South Africa, alongside Botswana and Burundi, were placed in the tournament’s Group C at the draw made last month.

The Super Falcons are the reigning champions and the favourites to go all the way and lift a record-extending 10th WAFCON trophy.

But South Africa have shown in recent times that they are a growing force in women’s football.

The Bayana Bayana are seventime winners of the COSAFA Cup and four-time runners-up of the Wafcon, losing to Nigeria on two occasions.

But the Mandela Ladies defeated the Falcons 1-0 in the opening group match of the last edition of the Wafcon before losing on penalties in the final after full-time scores stood at 0-0.

The South Africans avenged that 2018 final loss when they defeated the Nigerians 4-2 to win the inaugural edition of the Aisha Buhari Cup last year.

Bayana coach Ellis admits that the Falcons remain the team to beat at the women’s championship.

WAFCON But the former international is silently confident that her team can prove their quality against the West Africans again.

“Well, we always knew the draw was not going to be easy.

Nigeria, the defending champions and multiple winners always bring their A-game and know what it takes to win,” Ellis told CAFOnline. com.

“We have played them a few

times in the group stages. They have raised their levels, and we have to raise our levels even higher to get a positive result. The first game is the most important game and once again, we need a positive result, but it will take a huge effort.

“Anything that has come before is history but it has shown us what we are capable of and has given us confidence and belief.

As I said earlier, we have played them many times in the group stages and this will be no different, especially with this being an

opening group match which is similar to 2018.

“We will need a huge effort to get a positive result. The first game is the most important of any tournament and getting a positive result is very important but we know that it’s not going to be an easy game. Actually, it’s going to be a very difficult game.”

The Women Africa Cup of Nations, which also serves as the qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, will run in Morocco from 2 to 23 July 2022.

David Alaba...doubtful for Man City clash in Madrid tomorrow

UEFA Imposes More Sanctions on Russia

Super Falcons...tough customers for Banyana Banyana

Russia has been barred from competing in this summer's women's Euro 2022, while Russian clubs will also be banned from UEFA competitions next season, Europe's football governing body announced yesterday.

UEFA has announced that Russia's bid to host the men's Euro 2028 or Euro 2032 tournaments is now ineligible too.

The sanctions come amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine.

In February, Russian clubs and national teams were suspended

by Fifa and Uefa "until further notice".

Yesterday, UEFA announced that Portugal - who lost to Russia in

the play-offs - will replace them at Euro 2022, which takes place in July.

Russia's women's national team will also no longer compete in European qualification for the 2023 World Cup, while the men's side is barred from the 2022-23 Nations League.

They will automatically be ranked fourth in group two of League B, meaning they will be relegated at the end of the group phase.

The ban imposed on clubs means there will be no Russian teams in the men's and women's Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League during the 2022-23 campaign.

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

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Price: N250

MISSILE

Ohanaeze Ndigbo to APC, Buhari

“The way APC prevaricates over issue of zoning is troubling. We believe that the onus lies on the President; but if he chooses to play the ostrich, history will not be kind to him. He must sail this ship to safe harbour. If they fail to do the needful, let them bear in mind that restiveness, insecurity and cries of marginalisation will never cease…”---Ohanaeze National Publicity Secretary, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, berating the hypocrisy over the zoning issue.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI Nigeria: Bumpy Road To 2023 “M abati1990@gmail.com

y brother, when are you declaring for President?”

“Which President? I am already a President in my own right. I am the President

of my house.”

“That is not the kind of President I am talking about. I mean a President with the big P, not the small one that gives you a delusion of importance.”

“My friend, don’t insult me. I took an oath of office at the registry and at the church. I paid a bride price.

I got a certificate, making me a constituted authority.

I have three Dudukes to show for it. What else am I looking for? Come oh, are you doubting my full authority as a President of my own house? Are my in-laws looking for my trouble? In fact, I am not just a President. I am a Chairman. The Odogwu of my Lodge… The Otunba of my own space.”

“Bros, I beg, you joke too much. I am talking about the President of Nigeria, something serious; you are talking about a three-bedroom apartment where you behave as if you are a real man just because you married a wife. This is what I tell you all the time. You need to be ambitious. Think big. Dream big. Otherwise that home you claim you have, a more capable man will come in there and disrupt everything. Even your children will turn against you. I am telling you to think big, you are saying you are the constituted authority of your house. Somebody is advising you to start seeing yourself as someone who can eat pounded yam with crocodile meat, everyday, if you want, you are telling me you would rather eat ponmo and brorkotor. Is everything okay with you?”

“Nothing is wrong with me.”

“So who says you too can’t be President of Nigeria?”

“Me? President of Nigeria?”

“Yes. President of Nigeria. That is the latest Baba Ijebu game in town! Better lottery. The thing don become pool fixtures. Perm one, perm two, you fit win.”

“Please, please, please. If you don’t have anything serious to talk about, please leave me alone.”

“I am telling you. This thing called Nigerian Presidency for 2023 has become a try-your-luck game.

Everybody is now declaring interest in the Presidency.

That is what the thing has become. When somebody told me that it is even the latest Bitcoin, I just decided that may be you and I should go and try our luck.

We should think out of the box.”

“President of Nigeria?”

“The people who have declared, do they have two heads? Let me tell you, the way this thing is going, anybody can be President. After all, an actor Ronald Reagan became President of the United States.

Actor oh! In Ukraine, a comedian, ordinary comedian, Zelensky is President. He is fighting a war now, and every important country and leader in the Western world is going there to express solidarity with him.

He has even addressed the United Nations. You don’t know your destiny. The way this our Nigeria is going, I won’t be surprised if a clown emerges as President of Nigeria in 2023.”

“God forbid.”

“Are you a clown? After all, you claim to be well-educated. I am saying you too can be President” “How about you? Why don’t you too try your luck?”

“I don’t know people. You are better connected.

See, the way this thing works these days, you must know people, have strong connections, and just go about saying you too want to be President, make noise and before you know it, some people will form themselves into a group, look for one fancy label and they will say you are the best man since the invention of tooth paste, and the best man for the job. I am ready to lead your campaign team” “But I don’t know anything about politics. I have no idea.”

“You don’t need to know anything about politics.

Just have the right connections. The people will buy the nomination and expression of interest forms on your behalf. We will create a Campaign Forum in your name. We will call ourselves the Patriots Forum, and we will say you are the man! That is how they do it. I want you to move fast because as we speak now, you don’t know who is going to declare this

Bello

Tinubu

very week. Declaring interest in the Presidency of Nigeria is right now, the biggest business in town.”

“I will have to talk to my wife first.”

“Your wife! Your wife! You think your wife will object to the possibility of becoming the First Lady of Nigeria? You will be surprised that she herself may have been nursing the idea. Let me tell you something: your wife will tell you that there is nothing the people who are First Ladies have, that she too does not have. She will tell you she is even better. In fact, if you are not careful, she will say she too can be President of Nigeria.”

“Without my authority?”

“Which authority? My friend, go and sit down.

We are in the 21st Century! Is it because I am trying to encourage you? If you are not interested, I can decide to push your wife to run for the position of President of Nigeria. She is actually highly qualified.

And we can groom her” “You will groom my wife? Are you mad? Abi you wan die? That is the day she will leave my house!”

“She is a Nigerian citizen. And if you say you don’t want good luck in your household, you don’t want to be president, you don’t want your wife, we will look for another person. In fact, the way my mind is working, our group will go and recruit Obi Cubana, or E-Money or White Money. They too can be President.”

“Excuse me.”

“Yes. That is where we are right now as we move towards 2023 in this country” “White Money? Has Nigeria become a Big Brother Naija Show?”

“I don’t see the difference. They have turned the whole thing into a gamble. What do you have against White Money? At least the money is white, not black. Every other aspirant is bringing black money.”

“That is defamatory. I won’t be party to that.”

“My friend, white money is better than black money.

Anybody that brings N100 million to buy ordinary form or N50 million, or even N40 million in this economy should be investigated for black money.

All of a sudden, all kinds of groups and persons are buying forms on behalf of Presidential aspirants.

People should stop telling us a dog is a monkey. We have eyes. We can see.”

“Count me out” “It means you don’t understand politics. Don’t you know that some of these aspirants don’t really want to be President? They just want to show that they are relevant. Some of them just want to protect themselves. Some have lost political relevance and they want to jump-start themselves politically. Then you have the category of hungry people who are using Presidential declaration, or Governorship declaration as a fund-raising opportunity. The whole thing is

a game.”

“But I hear that everyone that is declaring must get the President’s blessing. The President does not know me. ” “You don’t need his endorsement. Every citizen has the right to contest once you meet the requirements under Section 40 of the Constitution and Section 131.

Your right to occupy any political position in this country is properly defined in the Constitution. Everybody that goes to the President to say he or she wants to be President, the man says Yes. That is why they are all saying they have the President’s blessing. What do they expect him to say? Of course, he will tell them they are good to go. See, if we organize properly, and we take you to President Buhari tomorrow and tell him sir, this your son wants to be President too, he will say Yes, go ahead.”

“You think he will endorse someone like me, without knowing me?”

“Why not? He will. What do you want him to do?”

“But he once said he has his favorite and he would not name the person in order to protect him or her from being assassinated.”

“It is typical power politics, my friend. Can’t you see it? Without saying anything categorical, President Buhari has turned himself into the puppeteer, playing divide and rule politics. This is what I always say about this county. The people of Southern Nigeria don’t know how to play politics. We talk too much.

We allow other stakeholders to manipulate us. We are too greedy and those who know better manipulate us.

Can anybody hold the President down to anything as regards 2023 Presidency? The obvious answer is No. But anyone that comes forward, they say he has blessed them.”

“Under normal circumstances, really, his blessing or non-blessing or opinion should be irrelevant. It is the people of Nigeria that should decide. One man, one vote. And it is his duty to ensure that Nigeria holds credible elections in 2023.”

“Good point, very good. But can’t you see what is going on in the two major political parties? The PDP has abandoned its rule about zoning, specifically Section 7(3c) of its Constitution, which had in fact been adopted by the rival All Progressives Congress. PDP now says that section no longer applies and anybody can be President on its platform.”

“That has not yet been finalized though. The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, this week, to take a decision on the party’s zoning format. We have to wait for that.”

“You know I always tell you that you tend to be naïve sometimes. You think PDP NWC would now zone the choice of its Presidential aspirants, after selling forms to every aspirant from wherever, after collecting

too much money, and after screening everyone who expressed interest? My brother, leave matter!”

“What I know is that all the aspirants from the South are saying that in the interest of fairness, equity and justice, the Presidency must be zoned to the South and specifically to the South East.”

“Have you also heard the same Southern Nigerian aspirants saying they will abide by whatever the party decides? But I have not heard any Northern aspirant saying so. What they are saying is that the North has every right to continue in office.”

“But it is different in the APC” “How is the APC different? Where were you when the APC Party Chairman reportedly said a few days ago, that no final decision has been taken on the zoning of the Presidency by the party?”

“He was probably quoted out of context, because if you look at the APC, all the Presidential aspirants are from the South with the exception of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State who is from the North Central. It is safe to assume then that the Presidential flagbearer from the APC will be either a Southerner or someone from the North Central.”

“So why do you I think I am urging you to run” “Sarcasm. You were being sarcastic. I know you well enough to know that were trying to ridicule the entire process.. You know as well as I do that the Northerners do not want a Southerner in the Presidential Villa in 2023. They have played a good game of divide and rule. In the South East and South South, there is currently no consensus. Nobody is going to step down for anyone. In the South West, the divide and rule politics is even worse. You have the most prominent APC politician from the region, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu being challenged by the same people he groomed and turned into big men. Politics in the South West this time around, has become a do-or-die affair. I am sure of that. The same people who are supposed to help Asiwaju mobilize delegates have already made sure that he would not have full support from his political base. This road to 2023 is both interesting and bumpy.”

“It looks like anybody’s game, then. And that is why I think we can get involved too, particularly now that your people in the South West are fighting over ratings in the polls. We can organize our own polls and announce that you are the citizens’ choice” “No, thanks.”

“Really?”

“Because I really don’t understand what is going on. It is about seven months to the elections. Under normal circumstances, by now, there should be some kind of certainty or clarity about the future of the country and the general elections next year. Right now, the country is in the grips of fear and uncertainty about the future. Nobody has any idea what will happen tomorrow. The aspirants too have no clue.”

“After the primaries, don’t worry. The candidates that would emerge would start talking. They will take care of people, including naysayers like you who think they know it all about Nigeria.”

“I certainly do not know it all. But I don’t like gambling”.

“Let whoever wants to gamble do so. Nigeria itself is a big gamble. Life is also a gamble.”

“Nobody is talking about issues. I only get to hear about individual ambitions, zoning, ethnicity, and religion.

In the recent Presidential election in France, President Emmanuel Macron and the opposition candidate, Marine Le Pen discussed issues of interest to the people.

Who will speak for us, hapless Nigerians? I want to hear what anybody wants to do about the bad state of the Nigerian economy, inflation, unemployment, terrorism, the cost of living crisis, the loss of hope, all I hear is vote for me, vote for me, I am the best…it is my turn, individual ego, noise, selfishness!”

“Speak for yourself, my friend. That is why you have a voter’s card. “ “That does not guarantee that my vote or your vote or anyone else’s vote would count.”

“It is up to you what you do with your PVC.” “I just hope we’d still have a country when this is all over. The future has never been this uncertain in this country.”

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