THURSDAY 13TH MAY 2021

NNPC Picks 16 Companies for New Crude Oil-swap Deal Again, prices near $70 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja with agency report The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has picked 16 consortia for its new crude-

for-fuel swap contracts for one year starting in August.

A report yesterday by Reuters listed the consortia to include major Swiss trading firms, Trafigura, Vitol and Mercuria, oil major Total as

well as large Nigerian traders, Sahara Energy, Oando and MRS Oil. Other companies which qualified for the contracts, according to a list sighted

by THISDAY include: AY Mai

Kifi, based in Kano; Litasco, a South African firm; Bono Energy, Lagos; Duke Oil, an NNPC subsidiary; Eyrie Energy, based in Abuja; Asian Energy Services; Prudent; BP and Mocoh.

The contracts, known as Direct Sale, Direct Purchase (DSDP), are coveted since they are used to supply nearly all of Nigeria's petrol needs as well as cover some of its diesel and jet fuel consumption.

The companies were invited on Friday to submit commercial bids, which were due on Tuesday, according to the report.

Continued on page 34

Parents Seek Law School Students’ Relocation over Boko Haram Threat... Page 10 Thursday 13 May, 2021 Vol 26. No 9531. Price: N250

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Judicial, Legislative Workers Give Fresh Conditions to Suspend Strike Insist outstanding allocations are paid Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Striking judicial and legislative workers have given fresh conditions to suspend their industrial action, insisting

that the federal government should prevail on governors to immediately release all outstanding allocations due to the other two arms of government, still in their

Say pact must be backed by law

custody since the beginning of the year.

The workers restated that they would not negotiate the provisions of the constitution on financial autonomy for the

two arms of government and demanded that the governors should immediately set in motion the process of establishing the fund allocation committees in all the states.

THISDAY gathered that the leadership of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) made the demands in a written

response to the proposals made by state governors and the federal government on how to resolve the dispute over Continued on page 12

Buhari, at Sallah, Seeks Prayers to End Banditry, Kidnapping Atiku, Lawan, Saraki, Tinubu preach righteousness Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday went spiritual in the search for solutions to the insecurity ravaging the country with a call on Nigerians to pray for an end to banditry, kidnapping and desperate quest for power.

Buhari, in a message he personally signed to celebrate Eid-el Fitr, urged Nigerians to shun the temptation to retreat into their communities.

Similar messages from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu; and a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, also tasked Nigerians on the need for righteousness and prayers

for the nation to overcome its problems.

Buhari implored the citizenry to pray against kidnapping and banditry and the desperate quest for political power expressed through blackmail against the existence of Nigeria as a united entity.

“We must resist the temptation to retreat into our communities. I urge our political and religious leaders as well as traditional rulers to encourage our citizens to turn towards one another in love and compassion,” he said.

While sending his best wishes to all Nigerians and Muslims across the globe as they mark the Eid Al Fitr the president said: “Unity and solidarity Continued on page 34

STILL IN CONTROL...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN (left) and Ugandan President, Mr. Yoweri Museveni, at Museveni’s inauguration in Kampala, Uganda…yesterday

President Won’t Ignore 17 Southern Govs, Says Akeredolu... Page 5

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NEWS

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

President Won’t Ignore 17 Southern Govs, Says Akeredolu Lawmakers, Ortom, PANDEF back restructuring, open grazing ban

Deji Elumoye, Udora Orizu in Abuja, Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti and George Okoh in Makurdi Ondo State Governor, Chief Olurotimi Akeredolu, has said there is no chance in hell that President Muhammadu Buhari would ignore the call by Southern Governors’ Forum for a national dialogue, restructuring and respect for the principle of federal character in his appointments.

Akeredolu spoke last night on ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper, and said he was sure that Buhari would examine the issues raised by the governors and act appropriately.

The 17 governors of the southern parts of the country had congregated in Asaba on Tuesday to deliberate on the state of the nation and agreed to end open grazing and called on the president to address the nation on the worsening security situation in the polity.

Asked what the governors would do if the president ignored them, the Ekiti State governor, who presided over the Asaba meeting, said although he did not envisage that, the chief executives of

the southern states would cross the bridge when they get there.

He said the conclusions of the forum were not new, popular and acceptable to most of their counterparts the north.

Reacting to question about the possibility of Northern governors opposing the decision of their Southern counterparts, Akeredolu said: “If Northern governors ever go against the lines we have spoken, I Know that their ranks and files would be broken. We have a number of Northern governors who support our position. I give an example with the governor of Kano State who had over and over again, vehemently opposed open grazing. “He is a Fulani man and he continually says that open grazing is not in the interest of his own people and that to continue in this mode of animal husbandry in this age and time, is also not in the interest of the Nigerian economy.”

Akeredolu further said: “The Kaduna State governor had said he had enough land and we are saying that the federal government should support any state that want

IG Orders Police Chiefs to Ensure Tight Security Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Alkali Usman, yesterday ordered a nationwide deployment of police officers and other operational assets of the force to ensure tight security ahead of Eid-el-Fitr celebration and beyond.

A statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, said the IG's order was contained in a directive to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police (CPs) and other strategic police commanders as part of efforts toward stabilising security, improving public safety and making the country a safer place for all.

It quoted the IG as saying that "the nation’s security ecosystem was challenged, assured, however, that these challenges are not insurmountable. He reassured the citizens that the force under his new policing vision is already implementing new, improved, tailored-to-suit and robust security solutions aimed at tackling crimes and neutralising both existing and emerging security threats in the country."

The IG, while restating his belief that the nation would soon overcome its security challenges added that the force

was upscaling its collaboration with the military and other law enforcement agencies in both intelligence sharing and other target-oriented missions and operations.

He enjoined citizens to support the police to stage a common front in tackling the challenges.

In addition, the IG reminded the citizens of the newlyintroduced Phase-4 National Response on COVID-19 Health Protection Regulation and called for voluntary compliance with the protocols.

He also directed commissioners of police in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure full enforcement of the protocols.

He, however, warned that police officers deployed for such enforcement must do so with the utmost professionalism, while exhibiting compassion, decorum and due respect for the fundamental rights of the citizens.

The IGP also congratulated all Muslims as they join others to mark this year’s Eid-el-Fitr.

He urged them to internalise the virtues and teachings of Ramadan in their daily endeavours and admonished all Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of obedience to the laws and the pursuit of the common good.

to do ranching. Government should support them so that people can keep cows there and do their business from there.”

Akeredolu was of the view that Northern state governors would not oppose the decision on open grazing, stressing that Benue and Kogi states were also in support of putting an end to open grazing.

He said disclosed that many states were facing security challenges because of open

grazing, including the herders.

The Ondo State governor argued that modern system of animal husbandry had shifted from open grazing to ranches, which he added, must be supported and adopted by the federal government in the interest of all Nigerians.

Speaking about restructuring, Akeredolu said the federal government should see the need for restructuring, because there would also be division in the rank and file of

government officials, since a good number of them believed in restructuring Nigeria.

“I know of a number of my colleagues in the North, who also believed that there must be state police because there have been danger all over the country and we cannot afford to continue with one command. Everybody is talking of multi-policing and all of us have agreed.

So, I do not see any reason why anybody will be against

restructuring,” Akeredolu said.

He explained that the 17 Southern governors would take the decision reached at the meeting, to their various states for implementation, adding that the governors would also need to have a consensus with members of the National Assembly on the decisions reached at the meeting of the Governors’ Forum.

Continued on page 34

AMBASSADOR AT MARINA...

Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, Dr. Jyrki Pulkkinen (left), and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Lagos…yesterday

Again, Gunmen Attack Two Police Stations, Kill Officer in A’Ibom

Okon Bassey in Uyo

The coordinated attacks on police formations continued yesterday in Akwa Ibom State as gunmen again killed a policeman and set fire on two police stations.

THISDAY gathered that the gunmen in their numbers yesterday morning reportedly embarked on a mission to set ablaze the Police Area Command of in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, as well as another police station in Ika LGA of the state.

However, a policeman, PC Edogi Bassey, attached to the Etim Ekpo Area Command was killed when the bandits stormed the station.

The gunmen, who were repelled, reportedly burnt down the multi-million Naira Godswill Akpabio Unity Hall in Essien Udim LGA of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state police command, Mr. Odiko MacDon, confirmed the

attack in a statement issued yesterday in Uyo, the state capital, saying the policemen repelled the hoodlums from causing serious damage.

He said: "At about 6:30 am today, (Wednesday) armed men, in their numbers, armed with AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons, in two vehicles, attacked the rented building housing the Etim Ekpo Area Command and Division.

"The undaunted and vigilant police officers on duty gallantly fought back, repelled them and averted the intended carnage.

Unfortunately, a dedicated officer, one PC Edogi Bassey, paid the supreme price while a small portion of the building was touched.

"The gunmen who proceeded to Ika Police Division to perpetrate their nefarious activities were again successfully repelled leaving the station intact without loss of lives or arms." He explained that the worrisome

trend was being addressed by the police hierarchy and required the cooperation and support of all residents of the state.

"The Commissioner of Police, CP Amiengheme Andrew, who is going round formations and divisions to ensure alertness and safety of officers, men and the people has called on law-abiding citizens to volunteer timely information that will enable the police to tackle the present security challenges," he said.

The killing of Bassey by the gunmen has brought to 22 the number of policemen who have lost their lives to gunmen in a series of coordinated attacks on police formations in Akwa Ibom State in the last six weeks.

The attacks had also seen several stations torched and patrol vehicles burnt in stations located in border councils of Essien Udim, Ika, Ikono, Ini, Abak and Etim Ekpo.

Worried by the level of insecurity in the state, the state government has banned the use of motorcycles from dusk to dawn in the troubled councils that constitute Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District of the state.

All the recent attacks on the police in the state have taken place in the senatorial district.

A statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, said the prohibition would cover all types of motorcycles without exception while security agencies have been directed to strictly enforce the directive.

"While regretting the inconvenience that this decision may cause lawabiding citizens, the decision is a product of considered reasoning, taken in the overall interest of the security of lives and property, which is the primary responsibility of any government," the statement said.

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In the PLAYRoom, Femi Kuti talks about his life, his music, his memories, his aspirations and the future of the Kuti’s unique sound as younger Kutis begin to rise.

WATCH HIS EXCLUSIVE SESSION IN THE PLAYROOM NOW ONLY ON ARISEPLAY.COM

Featuring FEMI KUTI

THURSDAY MAY 13, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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Parents Seek Law School Students’ Relocation over Boko Haram Threat

Alex Enumah in Abuja

With few days to the commencement of the 2020/2021 Nigerian Law School examination, parents of students at the Bwari campus have called on the management of the school to relocate the students to its other campuses owing to reported security scare in the area.

The examinations have been scheduled to start from Monday, May 17, 2021.

But the worried parents, who insisted that the safety of their wards should be the priority, stated that they do not want to go through the same harrowing experience of parents of the Greenfield University students abducted by bandits in Kaduna recently.

Boko Haram scare has created panic among the residents of the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in recent weeks.

Bwari town, an outskirt of Abuja shares boundary with Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.

It is home to many government and private institutions such as the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Federal Government College, Bwari; Nigerian Law School, Bwari (Abuja Campus); and Veritas University, among others.

Before the report of the alleged presence of bandits in Bwari, the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, had raised the alarm that Boko Haram invaded and hoisted their flags in Shiroro Local Government of the state, a local government that is less than two hours’ drive from Abuja.

Despite the assurances by the FCT Police Command, the parents of the Law School students were said to have approached the management of the school to either postpone the examination till when tension has died down or preferably relocate the students to safer campuses to take their Bar exams.

The parents also forwarded their request to the DirectorGeneral of the Law School, Professor Isa Ciroma (SAN), through the Council of Legal Education, the Nigerian Bar

Association (NBA) and other legal bodies to allow law students of the Bwari campus to take their Bar examinations in the Lagos, Enugu, Yenagoa and Kano campuses.

THISDAY gathered that the request was based on the fact that the campus is close to communities in Niger State that have been threatened by bandits and Boko Haram.

But Ciroma was said to have declined their request, instead assuring them of the safety of the students at the Bwari campus.

An official of the Nigerian Law School, Bwari campus, who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity, said that the institution had already taken proactive steps to ensure the safety of lives and property on the campus.

"The school has done the needful; we, in the law school have not heard anything; we just gathered rumours; nothing has happened in the place," he said, adding that the exam is still holding and nothing to fear."

He stated that as a proactive institution they had alerted the security agencies as soon as they heard the rumour.

"So far so good; lecture is going on and exams will still be on Monday as planned.

"Parents should just allow the security agencies to do their job; we are trusting God to take control. All parents should do is to continue to pray and be hopeful. We are still living here on campus and going about our normal businesses. There is nothing to worry about now," he maintained.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), who confirmed the apprehension of most parents, however, noted that the issue was taken out of proportion.

Ngige acknowledged that the fears of parents were well-founded going by recent kidnap of university students in Kaduna State, but noted that necessary steps had been taken to guarantee the safety of the law students in Bwari.

He said: "Some people are just trying to escalate the tension, I have been discussing with a lot of parents, and I’m also a

parent; I am concerned. But I have spoken with the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and he has assured me that they are providing security for the Law School in Bwari.

"The examination is just three days away; some parents want the school either to be closed or the exams to be brought to their doorstep and it is not convenient for all of them. It may be convenient for somebody who wants to come to Lagos; there are those who don't have any relation in Lagos for just three days or a week exams.

"So, since the government has assured of security at the Bwari Law School, all we need to do is to keep calm; let them take the exam and go."

He argued that there were other government institutions in Bwari such as JAMB, which did not shut down because of the scare of insecurity.

The council chairman said Nigeria should beef up security and be vigilant.

Ngige stated that if it were possible he would have acceded

to the demands of the parents.

He appealed to them to remain prayerful and trust God to keep their wards safe.

Ngige said: "I'm appealing to parents; if it is within my power as chairman of the council, I will just assuage their feelings and decentralise the examination, postpone the date of the exam, put it in June and relocate them to different states but the government said they will provide security and the exam must take place in Bwari. So, we remain prayerful and then vigilant.

"I don't quarrel with them over their feelings because if you see what has happened in other institutions like Kaduna, no parent will be happy to find his or her ward somewhere that there is rumour of attack."

He, however, said parents, who are apprehensive, can withdraw their children from taking the current exams by writing a letter to the council.

Meanwhile, some senior lawyers who spoke on the issue called on the government to beef

up security around the Bwari campus to ensure the safety of the students.

For Professor Yemi AkinseyeGeorge (SAN); Mr. John Baiyeshea (SAN) and Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), the government must do everything to guarantee the safety of the Bwari Law students as well as all other students across the country.

"The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Ciroma (SAN), is widely reputed as a thoroughbred intellectual and astute administrator. I believe we can rely on his assurances that the school has made adequate arrangements to protect the students from the threat of terrorists or any other violent invasion of the school.

"Postponing the exams is not in the best interest of thousands of students from Nigerian and foreign universities, including those who are eagerly waiting to resume studies at the Law School," Akinseye-George explained.

Akinseye-George, who is also the President of the Centre

for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), added that in view of the backlog of students awaiting admission, postponing the exams would be ill-advised.

Also speaking, Baiyeshea said the concern of parents over the safety and security of their wards were genuine, particularly in the Northern campuses, adding that the concern should not be dismissed.

"We are all living witnesses to what has happened to Students in other institutions. Students of Greenfield University Kaduna are still being held by the evil, satanic, and barbaric cannibals called bandits.

Government should not wait until another disaster happens (God forbid), before they start running aimlessly about to negotiate with the savages", Baiyeshea said.

Akinlaja, on his part noted that in view of the current spate of insecurity and high incidence of the kidnapping of students on campuses, parents should be emotionally distressed and agitated.

RAMADAN KAREEM...

Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh AbdulGaniyu Ajigbotomokekere leads Moslem faithful in prayer to mark the end of Ramadan in Ibadan…yesterday

Airlines Blame Dollar Scarcity, Pandemic for Rising Airfares Seek CBN intervention

Chinedu Eze

Airlines have attributed the skyrocketing airfares, which have elicited disaffection from travellers to the scarcity of dollars and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airlines, in separate interviews with THISDAY warned travellers to brace for a higher fare regime as economic indicators show that the problems are not likely to abate soon.

From N28, 000 for a one-hour flight after the high season in December 2020, the average cost of a one-hour ticket has now risen to N60, 000 for a one-way ticket and could rise as high as N120, 000 if a passenger buys a ticket on the day he is travelling.

The airlines attributed the soaring airfares to dollar scarcity, which has forced them to resort to the parallel market for the greenback.

They appealed for the intervention of the Central Bank

of Nigeria (CBN) to create special forex window for aviation.

They also attributed the hike in fare to the fact that many aircraft that were taken out of the country for maintenance were yet to be brought back because of the pandemic, which has hindered activities in some countries.

Owing to this, Nigerian carriers have a limited fleet but high demand for air travel, as insecurity continues to discourage many people from travelling by road.

The Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs. Toyin Olajide, told THISDAY that airfares are high because of forex scarcity.

“Airfares are high because of forex and we buy dollars from the parallel market. When you look at the prices of tickets, they don’t reflect the actual cost of operation. If they do, they will be higher than what we sell tickets now, but competition has kept the fares relatively low.

“We need dollars for most of the things we do in aviation. We buy spares in dollars and we source dollar at N500 per dollar.

Just imagine the cost if you want to import an aircraft engine. So the high cost of fares is because of forex,” she explained.

She added that currently, there is limited capacity because airlines are operating fewer aircraft in their fleet.

According to her, Air Peace has most of its aircraft overseas where they were ferried for maintenance but they got stuck because of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

She said most maintenance facilities overseas engaged in skeletal operations due to the lockdown, which delayed the completion of the maintenance of many aircraft to enable them to return to Nigeria for service.

“Our aircraft that were ferried for maintenance overseas have not returned due to the lockdown. The maintenance

facilities cannot meet delivery time. Few people are allowed to work on the aircraft and because of the lockdown, so many things are not working the way they should.

“For example, we have some of the aircraft in Israel, if you order spares from another country, it takes time before it will be delivered because immigration services may not be working in some countries; some companies may not even be operating optimally. So these are some of the challenges that we have,” Olajide said.

She stated that about 21 of Air Peace aircraft are under maintenance or due for maintenance, adding that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) calculates aircraft maintenance date by calendar months, so anyone that operated for 18 months is grounded and readied for maintenance.

“We have 21 aeroplanes that are under maintenance or due

for maintenance but we have not got a slot for those due for maintenance in facilities overseas.

They have to push out the ones that have completed their checks before they will take in more.

So the aircraft have to queue and wait,” she said.

Olajide, however, said the good news was that the brand new Air Peace aircraft, Embraer E195-E2 would soon start operation, as NCAA is about to complete its certification on them.

“We already have two of the aircraft in Nigeria and three are due to arrive this May. NCAA is at the stage of the demonstration flight, which will take about one week. So we will have five of the new aircraft operating from this month. But for the other aircraft, what is affecting us is the maintenance calendar and the fact that those aircraft taken for maintenance are yet to return,” she added.

A former CEO of Aero

Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, also told THISDAY that high demand triggered the increase in airfares.

“Also there is no capacity.

For example, Azman Air that was grounded by NCAA has three aircraft. That number is off from the system until they resume operations. Airlines are also taking advantage of the demand because I cannot understand why an economy ticket was selling for N74, 000 from Abuja to Kano, one way, which is less than one hour flight.

There is a lot of demand for air travel because of security challenges on the roads; airlines are taking advantage of that,” Sanusi said.

But the Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Mahmoud Abdullahi, told THISDAY that high fares are caused by scarcity of foreign exchange so airlines are finding it difficult to access dollars so they buy from the parallel market.

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Amaechi Makes U-turn as Panel Investigates Bala-Usman for ‘Insubordination’ Drops ‘unremitted’ N165bn claim Disband investigative panel, Katsina youths tell Buhari Eromosele Abiodun in Lagos and Francis Sardauna in Katsina Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has made a u-turn as the panel of enquiry he set up by to investigate the alleged shortfall in operating surpluses by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) under the leadership of the suspended MD/CEO, Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, will now probe her for insubordination as against the earlier claim of not remitting operating surplus of N165 billion to the consolidated revenue fund account (CFR), THISDAY has learnt.

This comes as the youths in Katsina State under the auspices of Katsina Youth for Sustainable Change, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to disband the 11man investigative panel inaugurated by Amaechi to probe Bala-Usman.

A member of the administrative panel told TheCable yesterday that the focus would now be “insubordination.”

He said: “We are looking at two things. One, the suspended managing director was in the habit of communicating directly with the president and bypassing the honourable minister. This is gross indiscipline and a breach of public service communication line. That is enough to get her sacked.

“Two, the minister

directed her to restore all Intels’ contracts that were suspended or terminated.

What she didn’t know was that the president was in the know of it. She failed to comply. This is insubordination and she is not above discipline.”

But a source at the transport ministry told THISDAY yesterday that Buhari actually withdrew his approval for the reinstatement of Intels’ contract after Bala-Usman wrote to President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, to explain NPA’s position.

Gambari, the source said, forwarded her response to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), for a legal opinion.

The source said Malami wrote to the president to state that the NPA was right and that no contracts were terminated or violated.

Buhari then withdrew his approval for the reinstatement of Intels’ contract and that was believed to have infuriated Amaechi, who accused Usman of insubordination.

According to the source, “If you look at the terms of reference properly, we are to examine and investigate compliance with the communication channel as obtained in the public service. Insubordination is not a small offence.”

The panel member accused her of bypassing the minister

and dealing directly with the president despite a “clear reporting hierarchy.”

Asked about the N165 billion non-remittance claim, the member said: “Available evidence shows that the allegation may not be true… it is a matter of reconciliation of what the Budget Office thought should be the remittances with what the actual remittances should be.

“Since audits have been done over the years, there is obviously nothing more to that. It is not as if NPA’s monies are in private banks.

Everything is with the CBN, so if there were no remittances, it is just about looking at NPA’s accounts with the CBN.” Although the minister asked the eleven-member panel to “examine and investigate the procurement of contracts from 2016 to date” as part of the terms of reference, another source at the NPA said it was going to be a “tricky job.”

“At NPA, any contract beyond N50 million for goods and services and N200 million for works are referred to the ministerial tenders board (MTB), which is headed by the permanent secretary of the ministry,” he said.

“If we go into probing contracts since 2016, we may end up probing the minister himself. About 70 per cent of the contracts for capital projects go to the MTB, after

which the minister presents them to the federal executive council (FEC), presided over by the president himself, for approval. We will check if all the procedures were followed, but I am personally not optimistic about that.

The suspended MD, from indications, is a process person.”

Amaechi, who is one of the very few ministers with direct access to Buhari since 2015, has denied allegations that he was fighting a personal war with Usman, whom he nominated for the position in 2016 after working with her in the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

THISDAY had exclusively reported that the “cold war” between the duo was a result of the renewal of $1.5 billion channel management contracts in which the minister is said to have gone against a competitive bidding process in favour of companies nominated by him.

The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, has in a paid advertisement, denied the allegation against Amaechi, insisting that he did not at any time seek to bypass the process.

Disband Investigative Panel, Katsina Youths Tell Buhari Meanwhile, the youths in

Katsina State under the auspices of Katsina Youth for Sustainable Change, have called on Buhari to disband the 11-man investigative panel inaugurated by Amaechi.

They described the investigative panel as Kangaroo board of inquiry singlehandedly picked by Amaechi "from his cronies in order to unjustly nail his victim (Bala-Usman).”

The Katsina youths equally condemned the suspension of Bala-Usman, describing it as unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.

The youths, through their counsel, Mr. EO Obunadike, at a press conference in Katsina yesterday, said the NPA boss was suspended from office without constitutional rights to fair hearing as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution as altered.

Obunadike said the suspension of Bala-Usman contravened the Approved Disciplinary Procedure Against Chief Executive Officers of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Departments approved by President Buhari on May 2020.

He said: "From the information available in the public space, at no time was Hadiza BalaUsman queried or invited to provide explanations for any discrepancies that may have been allegedly noticed in the operations of the NPA

before she was suspended from office.

"Media reports indicate that the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, relying on some unsubstantiated information from the budget office about some alleged non-remittance and without recourse to hearing from the MD of the Nigerian Ports Authority, surreptitiously wrote and complained to the president to get the managing director suspended."

He added: "From these entire facts made available to us, we humbly submit that the minister's action is unconstitutional, illegal and runs contrary to right to a fair hearing and at the same time, in sharp conflict with the approved disciplinary procedure against chief executive officers of the federal government parastatals, agencies and departments."

According to him, the constitution of the investigative panel by Amaechi against the suspended managing director of NPA runs contrary to the principles of fair hearing as contained in the constitution of Nigeria, and violates democratic norms and practices.

He urged Buhari and Malami to immediately intervene in what he termed the flagrant breach of the fundamental rights of BalaUsman.

FG Generates N392.77bn from Company Income Tax in Q1 James Emejo in Abuja The federal government generated a total of N392.77 billion as Company Income Tax (CIT) in the first quarter of the year (Q1 2021), representing 32.82 per cent increase compared to N295.72 billion recorded in the preceding quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

This also represented an

increase of 32.84 per increase year-on-year, it noted.

This improved performance in companies' profits was not unconnected with the gradual recovery of the economy following the recent lockdowns implemented by the government across the country to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Data on Company Income Tax breakdown by sectors for

Q1 2021, which was released yesterday by the statistical agency, breweries, bottling and beverages generated the highest amount of CIT with N23.26 billion while professional services including telecoms posted N18.17 billion.

Also, state ministries and parastatals generated N17.35 billion while the textile and garment industry generated N13.49 million.

Mining recorded N34.40 million while and automobiles and assemblies generated N73.57 million.

Out of the total amount generated in Q1 2021, N152.33 billion was generated as CIT locally while N184.59 billion was generated as foreign CIT payment.

The NBS added that the balance of N55.85 billion was generated as CIT from

other payments.

Furthermore, in the period under review, agriculture and plantations contributed N924.41 million to CIT, banks and financial institutions N9.25 billion, offshore operate N408.25 million and transport and haulage services N4.48 billion.

Others are other manufacturing N16.25 billion, properties and

investment N1.08 billion and pharmaceuticals, soaps and toiletries N958.42 million among others.

CIT receipts declined to about N1.41 trillion in 2020 compared to N1.62 trillion in 2019, as the pandemic hampered profitability.

Also, CIT for Q4 2020 declined to N295.72 billion compared to N416.01 billion in the preceding quarter and N362.01 billion in Q3 2019.

resolve the financial autonomy dispute, the source said JUSUN and PASAN insisted that each state governor should sign the agreement by himself and not through a third party.

Meanwhile, in continuation of negotiations to end the dispute, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on Tuesday held a meeting with the representative of the Nigeria Governors' Forum and Plateau State Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, on how to respond to issues raised by the striking workers.

THISDAY learnt that the meeting followed the receipt of a written response by the workers to an earlier offer

made by the governors in a bid to resolve the lingering dispute.

It was learnt that Ngige, Lalong and others were not able to trash out the issues and had agreed to meet again yesterday (Wednesday) in order to allow for wider consultations.

THISDAY also learnt that a meeting with the leadership of the workers may be convened tomorrow to iron out the remaining issues with a view to secure the suspension of the strike.

JUSUN and PASAN have been on strike for over one month.

The unions are seeking the full implementation of the constitutionally guaranteed financial autonomy for state legislatures and judiciaries.

JUDICIAL, LEGISLATIVE WORKERS GIVE FRESH CONDITIONS TO SUSPEND STRIKE financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature in each state of the federation.

The federal government and the governors of the 36 states had earlier agreed on a revenue-sharing formula to resolve the raging dispute over the full implementation of financial autonomy for state judiciaries and legislatures.

The new proposal, which was given to the leadership of both the workers’ unions at a conciliatory meeting last Thursday in Abuja, sought to replicate the federal revenue-sharing structure in the states.

THISDAY had reported exclusively that under the new template, the governors would establish, within 45 days of the agreement,

States Accounts Allocation Committee (SAAC) to share revenues among the executive, the judiciary and the legislature, the same way the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) shares revenue between the federal, states and local government councils.

But in their response to the government’s proposal, which was submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday, the striking workers also demanded that a law be immediately enacted to back the implementation of any agreement reached with the governors.

A top official of one of the unions told THISDAY that the workers were

also demanding that “in consonance with the Executive Order 10, that whatever monies that are in the possession of the governors and are yet to be disbursed should be disbursed immediately."

He added that the unions are also insisting that there should be uniformity of the law setting up the fund allocation committees to ensure a common template for revenue sharing in all the 36 states of the federation.

The official said: "We demand that there should be a law in all the states to back up the revenue-sharing template. In addition, in consonance with Executive Order 10, the governors should also ensure that

whatever that is their hands that they have not disbursed are released. They should disburse it immediately.

They should put in motion the process of setting up the State Fund Allocation Committee as proposed.

"There should be uniformity in the law setting up the revenue sharing template in all the states.

We don’t want a variant of the law. It doesn't matter what a state generates.

We know that every state will not have the same amount because some of the states earn derivation fund. What is important is that the sharing formula is the same."

On having the governors as signatories to any agreement reached to

THURSDAY MAY 13, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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COMMENT

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

TO DIE IN LAGOS

Human dignity is important, writes Okello Oculi

G

eneral Siad Barre fled from the chaos and blood-letting he had instigated in Somalia and died unsung but in peace in Lagos, Nigeria.

His flight recalled a song ‘’To Die in Madrid’’ sung to celebrate the revolutionary solidarity of idealistic youths from the Americas and Europe who trooped to Spain to fight alongside ‘’Republicans’’ against fascists and monarchists. Siad Barre probably came to honour Dodan Barracks: the seat of military power he had once envied and emulated.

Somalia has a destiny shaped by geographical location; a space occupied by Islam in neighbouring Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf, and a peculiar social architecture which Evans-Pritchard labelled as ‘’balanced antagonism’’. As the lower jaw of the Red Sea, its people watch ships carrying merchandise from rich lands of Japan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Iran; and oil-drenched Kuwait, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Their wealth stirs Somali’s hungry rage.

Kenya is currently a contestant with Somalia for ownership of oil on the coast of the Indian Ocean. During the Cold War contest between Communist Soviet Union and capitalist Euro-America, Somalia shared with Ethiopia the strategic value of being sites from which to spy on a vast Russia, and potentially launch missile attacks by NATO. In that contest ships carried military weapons to support African wars for freedom. Somalis also heard guns blasted by Palestinians against Israel and her American supporter while Israel hit back from under a perpetual Arab siege.

The Cold War contest drew Somalia into becoming a flag bearer of ‘’Socialism’’ which drew in military support from Cuba and the Soviet Bloc. The United States supported neighbouring Ethiopia under a brutal monarchy tightly run by Emperor Haile Selassie. However, both Somalia and Ethiopia suffered from stomach cancer waiting to wreck their respective polities. In 1974, angry Ethiopian soldiers murdered their Emperor.

African intellectuals looked to Somalia as a potential worship ground for democracy since it had only one ethnicity and one religious faith; devoid of diversities to torment its politics. American turned to anthropologists for tools to skin the haughty Somali giraffe.

Colonial anthropologists detested African societies which prevented growths of monarchies and central dominance.

Insulting terms (like ‘’segmented society’’ and ‘’primitive’’ and ‘’stateless’’), were used to derogate them. These societies often used guerrilla warfare tactics to erode and humiliate invading colonial troops.

Somalia is organised around Clans. Like the Nuer in Su-

LEADERS IN ’BALANCED ANTAGONISM’ VALUE CONSENSUS AND PARTICIPATION

BY ALL BUILT THROUGH WHAT MWALIMU NYERERE CALLED ‘’TALKING AND TALKING AND TALKING TILL YOU AGREE’’. TEMPERS FLARE ABUNDANTLY WHILE PATIENCE WORKS TIRELESSLY

dan, the Langi in Uganda, the Balante in Guinea Bissau; the Tiv, Igbo and Igbira in Nigeria, sovereign power is anchored in each household and homestead. Insult is instantly met with counter-insult because silence feeds arrogance and an accumulation of power.

Euro-American strategists noted that ‘’Balanced Antagonism’’ works to protect equality in society only if all individuals and households have the same quality of military weapons and access to land to ensure food power by each and all.

The creation of colonial standing armies (with weapons from advanced industrial production), enabled Siad Barre’s Ishaq Clan to grab power through a military coup.

Traditional balance of terror fell apart; shattering the centre echoing Chinua Achebe’s wit.

Internal fuel inside heads and souls of Somalis provoked opposition to Siad Barre’s military power in a spiral of violence and multiplication of centres of power outside central control; a dynamic that has tormented Somalia from 1969 to date. Al Shabaab’s demolition fiestas are grandchildren of Siad Barre’s disastrous blindness.

Somali’s community law for protecting equality through not tolerating insult (or ‘’balanced –antagonism’’), was turned against itself when Siad Barre’s military regime governed with violent repression against critics from other clans; and likewise monopolised economic resources.

In South Sudan, the Nuer as practitioners of ‘’balanced antagonism’’ reject rule over them by the majority Dinka.

The allocation of power by electoral arithmetical numbers is regarded by their leaders as ‘dictatorship by majoritism’.

They have continued to be tempted to plunge towards grabbing rule by broadcasting death with guns.

In Zimbabwe, Joshua Nkomo is reported to have plotted to overwhelm Robert Mugabe’s ethnic Bashona majority by wielding superior ammunition hidden underground among his own minority. The option of either building economic and cultural power or politics by consensus is either dismissed by ethnic jingoists as weakness or a promise of uncertain distant gratification.

Leaders in ‘’balanced antagonism’’ value consensus and participation by all built through what Mwalimu Nyerere called ‘’talking and talking and talking till you agree’’.

Tempers flare abundantly while patience works tirelessly.

Wole Soyinka insists on attaining human dignity by defending it in others. Chinua Achebe celebrates the full flowering of the ‘Chi’’ (or talent force) in each individual.

Their stand must urge Lagosians to let human dignity live in them by growing human dignity and enabling human talent bloom in Mogadishu to paint on skies over Somalia.

DALLAJI, PATRIOTISM ANDYOUTH EMPOWERMENT Tony Olutomiwa writes that the ACTDF is committed to creating opportunities for the youths “Men make history and not the other way around. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better” – Harry Truman, former U.S. President

F

or many years now, the salient elements of these remarkable lines from President Truman certainly fit into his quest to change society. Be it in his commitment to humanity, through the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF), contributing to contemporary national issues affecting the larger society or teaching ethics and leadership at civic fora, his creativity and skillful interpretation of the issues have come to define him and his values.

Welcome to the world of Mr Noah Dallaji, a trailblazer, humanist and bridge builder whose inspiring institutional development programmes have steadily created opportunities especially for talented youths to fulfill their God-given potential.

Although he once made serious efforts to change society by running for office as a senator in his native Bauchi State, his enduring impact on humanity has been the incredible work of the ACTDF, bringing hope to the hopeless and reimagining what society could be if there’s a concerted effort to remake our values in tandem with some sensible commitment to be our brother’s keeper.

Dallaji, who recently turned 45, obviously feels so concerned about the prevailing circumstances in the country and his views on issues of development remain vivid as ever, with particular emphasis on leadership as a winning factor. He also believes a strategic economic empowerment of the people will help considerably in reducing poverty and crime in society even as he says the ACDF would be undergoing some restructuring soon to expand the scope of its activities so that

many more talented youths can benefit from its empowerment programmes.

Speaking with reporters in Lagos recently, he exudes confidence and optimism that in spite of the challenges facing the country, Nigeria is still a great nation and that the years of “potential” were now over and as such patriots irrespective of political parties or socio-cultural affiliations should come together to develop the country.

Dallaji buttressed the need for patriotism as a missing link which, he says, was capable of changing our narrative as a collective in Nigeria.

“Talking about patriotism, I think is all about making sacrifices in the interest of your country. Some even die in order to defend their country. Look at the case of the Maverick, Senator John McCain, now of blessed memory in the United States. He was not just a prisoner of war for years; he almost lost his life because he chose to defend his country.

That’s how far true patriots could go to fight for their country. Patriotism could also be evaluated in an individual’s national service without waiting for compensation. It’s all about selflessness. “ Likewise, a national duty or engagement which could also help society grow and positively affecting the fabric of the people, initiated and executed by perhaps an NGO or an individual aimed at solving some basic problems. So that’s the kind of thing one would like to see in Nigeria.

Irrespective of political leaning, I think it’s now time for our leaders to come together and solve some basic issues of development.”

On the political plane, Dallaji was categorical in a sarcastic sense that those in leadership positions still need to convince the people that democracy is the best form of government through their effective leadership, development and empowerment of the people.

Although he says he subscribes to the tenets of democracy, he was quick to fault the process and

outcome in our clime, which in his view had led to controversies and endless litigations because the winners of many elections were not convincing to the people who actually voted. “That’s the crux of the matter”, he says, asking that going forward there may be an urgent need to plug all loopholes in our democratic practices that often take the constitution to task on the issues of justice and fair play. All these, I think, will help us in our burning quest for national unity and development.”

On the work of ACTDF and the question of what next for the organization in the years ahead, he affirmed that new developments are in the offing. He went down memory lane to talk about how the NGO was born and impact till date. According to him, having met different people and at different levels, especially in the local environment and condition where he grew up, he came to the conclusion that doing something important that focuses on the challenges of the youths particularly those who are talented but lack opportunities to realize their God-given talent was a good thing he could do to make a difference. “So the understanding was clear to me that we cannot all be in government or do the usual thing of going into banking, finance or even engineering which I could have chosen, anyway. I believe we can serve in different ways and enhancing humanity. So I was propelled to do the NGO thing as a matter of interest and the inherent passion to be useful not only to my immediate community in Bauchi State but also across the country. And looking at our history, I think we have succeeded largely in this regard and we hope to do more”, he stated.

Dallaji said he was conscious of the “talent question” from the beginning and it has since been at the forefront of activities. The concern, he said, was how ACTDF can help young people with talent to realize their potential in life and be able to move up the ladder of progress.

ACTDF had observed that so many young people have natural abilities but hindered to discover themselves or those who were aware of their natural gifts but do not have the opportunity to express themselves and make the necessary impact in society. Therefore, the challenge was to find a way to discover these talents and develop them to fulfill their manifest destiny.

This is achieved by organizing competition across the geopolitical zones leading to a grand finale where cash prizes are given to categories of winners and the very best are eventually showcased to the world through various development programmes. Such competitions by the ACTDF have produced many footballers now plying their trade in Europe and discovered talents who are now famous in the entertainment industry. Yet some are pursuing their opportune goals through scholarships abroad.

Meanwhile, interrelated concerns like poverty alleviation and empowerment, health as well as scholarship programmes are central in the overall work of the ACTDF which have cumulatively earned the body a grade C ECOSOC member of the United Nations-- a barge of honour and responsibility. “I have the conviction that when many more of the youths can get jobs, there would be a remarkable reduction in crime and other social vices”, he said.

On the future of the ACTDF, Dallaji opined that most of the organisation’s activities will undergo a restructuring for expansion and that the management was looking at a way to improve the scholarship scheme to benefit more young people who are indigent but very brilliant-- a development, he says, would lead to having a “Scholarship Board” composed of eminent Nigerians and foreigners with a new set of values and possibilities.

Olutomiwa wrote from Abuja

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EDITORIAL THE END OF RAMADAN Ramadan holds special lessons for Nigeria

W

hile Ramadan is usually a season when families and friends gather to celebrate mutual bonds, the times we live in compel a different approach. That explains why President Muhammadu Buhari will today join Muslims all over the world to mark the end of the holy month of self-purification and self-denial without any fanfare. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, it is our hope that charitable work will continue for those with means to empathise with the poor, the needy and the less privileged. As one of the five pillars of Islam, that was the real essence of Ramadan.

Even though the month-long fasting—a period of deep reflection on the inter-relationship between man and his neighbour on one hand, as well as man and his God on another—has now come and gone, its lessons must endure. And it is important that we see the effect in our country beyond seminal pronouncements that are not backed by concrete actions from those in positions of authority.

IF LEADERS CAN CURTAIL At all levels, governTHEIR MATERIALISTIC ment officials must TENDENCIES AND PAY begin to see their MORE ATTENTION TO assignment as a public trust while the THE YEARNINGS OF THE PEOPLE, THE COUNTRY WILL period of self-empCERTAINLY BECOME A MUCH tying without which HAPPIER PLACE TO LIVE IN no spiritual being can have a truly rewarding relationship with their maker should not go to waste. The abstinence from all forms of worldly comforts and pleasures during Ramadan is to enhance spiritual growth and foster charity and brotherly love.

Clearly, there has never been a greater need for sharing with the less privileged and the needy of our society than today when millions of Nigerians can hardly make ends meet due to the harsh economic environment in the country. By allowing others to

Letters to the Editor

partake of our wealth or material possessions, we honour the One who gave us the wealth in the first place. And by paying attention to the plight of the vulnerable members of our society who are victims of violence and killings, we invariably place the welfare of our neighbours as important as ours. As President Muhammadu Buhari admonished in his message, the spirit of Ramadan, “which encouraged our citizens to turn towards one another in love and compassion” must continue.

S T H I S DAY

EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI AJAYI, DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

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

NIGERIA AND THE DANGER OF ‘PLAN B’ Continued on the backpage

S

o, regardless of whatever we may see on the surface (and I have said this before), what is fueling the crisis of division in the country today is not the criminal tendencies of some poor herders (who are no different from other opportunistic criminals across the country) but rather the mutual ethno-religious suspicions that have been allowed to fester because of the mismanagement of our diversity. When opportunistic zealots who use religion as a ladder to power get caught in the web of their own “moral vigilantist chauvinism” (apology to my friend, Leena Hoffman), the right thing to do is relieve them of national responsibility. But under this government, that is expecting too much.

In fact, the more divisive a public official is, the more the inclination to keep such a character in office.

From the examples of many failed states, when ethnic or/and religious differences are magnified in a milieu where there is a preponderance of guns in the hands of young people with little or no formal education, it is usually better to redress both real and perceived grievances before they accumulate and fester. When those in charge of affairs are accused—even if wrongly—of promoting an agenda at variance with their oath of office, it is easy for unscrupulous politicians to manipulate feelings of relative deprivation, especially when benefits (including political as well as economic) decline and expectations increase. That is what is happening in Nigeria today.

ince the Ramadan fast was aimed at promoting both the spiritual and material well-being of man, it stands to reason that man is invariably better off impacting the lives of others than merely pleasing himself. When he can rein in the impulse for self-gratification and greedy accumulation of wealth and can empathise with those that are in distress, man is more liable to make his society a better place to live in for everyone. That for us is one of the most enduring lessons of Ramadan which we hope many would have imbibed. These are also lessons that must endure.

It is noteworthy that fasting as a spiritual exercise is advocated by all religions ostensibly with the notion that the man who can make sacrifices in the bid to tame his desires would be a better person both for himself and the larger society. Besides the abstention from food and drink, according to an Islamic scholar, fasting helps the faithful “from looking at the provocative, from hearing the mischievous, and from uttering the obscene...to avoid slander and from thinking about inflicting injury to others.”

All said, the nation’s leaders, political and otherwise, have much to take from the lessons of Ramadan.

If only they can curtail their materialistic tendencies and pay more attention to the yearnings of the people, the country will certainly become a much happier place to live in. We urge our leaders to imbibe the lessons of Ramadan.

To our numerous Muslim readers, Eid Mubarak!

May Allah reward your sacrifice.

I saw this problem coming very early in the life of this administration. In my intervention, I referenced a popular story which I said would serve the president and I will repeat it as my final word today. In one village was an all-knowing legend who had answers for every question and solutions to every problem. But also in this village was a small boy who took delight in confounding people and he was determined to demystify the legend. One morning, the small boy went to the old man with his hands clasped behind his back, holding a live chick. “I hope there is no problem my boy” the old man asked on sighting the boy. “No problem Sir”, replied the boy, “but I am here to put your knowledge to test. I am holding a chick in my hands and I want you to tell me whether it is alive or dead.”

The plan was that if the old man said it was alive he would squeeze the chick dead before presenting it and if he said it was dead, the boy would then present it alive. But the old man was wise to the plot. Smiling, he said: “whether the chick is alive or dead is a simple problem my son. The answer is in your hands.”

The message from the legend is simple to grasp in the context of what ails our country today. Whether we have a united Nigeria where citizens can maximize their potential regardless of where they come from or retreat to the Hobbesian state where citizens begin to look for ‘Plan B’ as a way of escape from self-inflicted tragedies, President Buhari is the master of our collective destiny: The answer is now in his hands!

To all my Muslim readers, Eid Mubarak!

Olusegun Adeniyi, Abuja

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

I

ntelligent cars have been a part of our culture since the 1980s starting with the Knight Rider’s “Kitt”, a car probably far more intelligent than its driver. The Batmobile is always on call for Batman and with a push of a button it would locate him and drive there. Of course, having an automatic car with heavy weaponry may not be the best option for the average suburban driver.

A question may be what happens when the person using an auto-drive car is drunk, are they drink driving or drink auto-driving? A drunken slur may cause confusion as to which Cambridge to send them to, the one in Massachusetts, America or the University town in England. Should the auto-drive cars share the locations of Police Alcohol Testing stations so that their drunk passengers won’t get a fine?

Auto-drive cars can be programmed to do anything including to kill, well actually to selectively kill. If an accident is going to hurt the passengers or someone outside, then being inside the car is the best option.

Hackers could lead to more worrying possibilities. Anarchists could create havoc by simply sending all of the auto drive cars onto the major roads and then have them stop in the middle of every intersection.

The end won’t come with the terminators shooting us down but rather it will be the auto-drive cars running us down.

Maybe it’s time to saddle up the horses again.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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In Two Can Play That Game, Shanté (Vivcia Fox) is a well-educated woman who feels that when it comes to men and their tricks, she knows them all. On the other end, Shante’s boyfriend Keith (Morris Chestnut), is being led by his friend Tony (Anthony Anderson), who thinks he knows all the tricks that women play. Let the battle begin!!

ZEBRAHEAD tells of an interracial love affair in a Detroit high school. Zach (Michael Rapaport), a white Jewish boy, falls in love with his best friend's cousin, Nikki (N'Bushe Wright), an African-American teenager. Love, friendship and family politics collide in the movie Up North when a young rebellious heir Bassey (Banky Wellington), from a wealthy family is sent away to national service in northern Nigeria. For Emery Simms (Shemar Moore) his life takes a downward spin in Motives, when he betrays his beautiful wife Constance (Vivica A. Fox) for one night of passion with a stranger, he is convinced he can keep the fling a secret but someone is always watching.

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POLITICS

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

‘There’s Nothing Amotekun is Doing Today That My Neighbourhood Watch Doesn’t Do’ Lagos State is determined to retain its leadership position, says Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to a group of jornalists including Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha at a recent meeting at State House, Marina to highlight the mix of optimism, anxiety and challenges that mark the second anniversary of his administration

H

ow have you been able to implement your campaign manifesto since you assumed office?

It’s been almost two years since I assumed office and I know what it means every day to sleep and wake up and you have that huge challenge. It’s a challenge of honour. It’s a challenge of immense trust.

It’s a challenge of a sense of the believe that people have in you. As tough as the job is, looking for that job and asking God to give you that job is also a very difficult job. Two years into it, how will I, with a sense of humility, rate and rank myself? We started this government with an economic agenda, under the T.H.E.M.E.S programme. And we all went into it with a full sense of purpose, that we will break barriers, make audacious decisions and raise the level of governance. Unfortunately, COVID came in about 15 months ago, slowed us down in some areas, extensively, because Lagos remains the epicentre, but it actually has not stopped us from achieving a lot of the things we had wanted to achieve. Because we realise that stories and excuses cannot be a thing that we’re going to put forward.

If I take each of the pillars, you will see that indeed we had intervened extensively in each and every one of them. And the very first one which is traffic management and transportation, was something born out of what we ask our citizens during this time, what would they want us to do first, and their answer was for us to give them means of moving from one area to another very quickly and efficiently. So what have we done? We have in the last two years created on an ongoing basis, an opportunity where we can utilise the three modes of transportation that is available to us in Lagos: rail, road and waterways. We have not completed rail but we are certain that before the end of our four year tenure, rail will move in Lagos. Why do we say so?

We’ve spent more money in the last two years than what we’ve done in the last six years, and we’re confident now that we’ll take that project, two of them; in fact, the first which is the blue line has one, and the red line. We will take it to completion because we have seen what they call a financial closure. We have a direct inputs into how we can raise money to complete it. We’ve ordered rollingstock, especially for the blue line, which is the one coming on Phase One from Mile 2 to Marina. The two terminals that are remaining are the Marina Terminal, and the Mile 2 Terminal. When you’re driving, immediately after Marina, you see that there’s a big hole, a big trench that they have started excavating, that is actually the construction for the terminal for the Marina. You can see that it has extended to the front of the State House, that will be the last parking point for the Blue Line. We’re convinced that we will see rail. For the Red Line which is even the most audacious one, we are certain that in those two years, we would have completed 10 stations, we have approved to build four overpasses, the Federal Government is supposed to build another four for us but we’re convinced because we’ve raised finance to build our own four overpasses, and the plan around the rollingstock is completed and finalised.

We’re saying that in two years time, we believe that Lagosians will be moving on rail. For buses, which is the BRT vehicle.

We have commissioned over 600 bosses in the course of two years. Before the end of this month, we are also launching 100 new high capacity buses. We’re introducing what we’ll call the last mile process. There

Sanwo-Olu

are about 500 buses but we are launching with the first 350 next week. If not for these two public holidays, the buses are here already. They are small, eight/nine seater buses. They are called First Mile, Last Mile.

We also launched Lagos Ride, which is the Lagos taxi scheme. The first set of 1000 will be arriving in June, latest July. So, we are intervening in the three components of road infrastructure. There are high capacity, medium capacity, and the taxis, which are the least. We do not say that we have all of the money, but we want to continue to be an enabler in all of these things. So we believe that before the end of these two years, by the time we add another 100 to it, we will have about 700 high capacity, about 450 Last Mile and the Lagos Ride that is coming. On the Lagos Ride, we are actually building a small assembly plant into it where it will be produced. The plan is to have about 5000 at the end of the day.

Same with the Last Mile buses. And the work plan is out, you can sew it too. The third component of transportation is waterways. We’re currently building 15 terminals concurrently in different parts of the state. We have in Liverpool, Ebute-Ero, Igbese, Oko-Ajah, in fact we have two in

Badagry. Six or seven should be completed before the end of this year, and which we will commission. We see an integrated mass transportation system where our citizens will have the option of if they want to go on a bus, rail or on the waterways. On the waterways as well we’re dredging, we’re putting balls on the navigational system so that people will know how to navigate.

We’re also building a command and control centre for the waterways because we know that it is important. We have actually bought search and rescue boats for Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA). The command and control centre will have cameras on some of the strategic waterways, so that, indeed, people can be safe and be sure that we are not just throwing people in the deep body of water. We have to be able to utilise all of that very well. That’s traffic management for us, where people will be able to determine and safely say that a 30-minute journey should not be more than 35 or 40 minutes. It’s not one and a half hours. On top of that, is all the road and traffic improvement. We are removing all the roundabouts, we are putting traffic signs, traffic lights, and junction improvement so that in places where we have

I will not say that we are the best in the world but I will say that we are aware of it. We are fully aware and we are doing a lot of interventions to ensure that we reduce energy emissions in our systems. What do I mean? Almost all of the buildings that we are doing now, we are ensuring that they are low energy buildings in which we can reduce greenhouse emissions and all of that. The hospitals that I mentioned earlier, they are all well ventilated where you don’t need all of the energies or generators. So we are developing smart buildings to ensure that they are green carbon compliant and in future you can actually present them and get some carbon credit and grant coming from it

gridlocks, we can remove or reduce all of these things. All of that is going on concurrently. We are obviously looking at a single payment system in our transportation master plan where a single card can take you on a bus, on the rail, and on the waterways. We have a carry card that Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA ) has launched. There are about 8000 already available. The plan is to have like 200,000 in over the next couple of months.

Moving away from traffic management and transportation, we talk about health and environment. COVID has been both a positive and a negative for us. We are the epicentre so we had to put everything we have into it, and thank God that we, if we must say it, we think we did a fairly good job, because we’re the ones that saved the larger part of the country, proactively taking some decisions, and everybody also following suit. We’re out of the second wave completely, we are just monitoring and ensuring that we don’t have a third variant of wave so that’s why you see that we’re leading the conversation to help Federal Government block people coming into our international border post and other critical decisions just make sure that we do not have any variant that will make nuisance of our vaccines. So, as bad as COVID is,it also gives us a learning experience around ensuring that we can improve our infrastructure in the health space. Not only have we recruited more doctors and nurses, in the last one year than we’ve done in the last six years, we’ve also been able to up infrastructure in almost all of our secondary health facilities. We’re currently rebuilding about six of them right now. We have opened Badagry, Eti-Osa and we’re going to open Epe. We’re building brand new hospitals across the state including the Massey St. Hospital, a general hospital behind the Ojo Cantonment. Apart from that we have the Radiology and Orthopaedic Hospital that we’re going to be opening before the end of this month. We’re currently doing extensive innovation at general hospitals such as Lagos, Isolo General Hospital, Ebute Metta General Hospital, concurrently where the capacity is developing in terms of infrastructure that we have, and which are some of the fallout of COVID knowing fully well that we don’t have any place to go. And we’re also asking ourselves how can we ensure that we reduce medical tourism in the country. So these are some of the things that COVID has helped us with.

We’ve also partnered with the private sector to open the first real Cancer Centre in this country and the new specialist hospital in Lekki. As a government too, part of the things that we’re working on the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model to up the equipment, the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), so that we can have a model where they can supply more of the CT scan, MRI scanner, all of those high end equipment, and have them in our hospital.

Environment is still about ensuring that we can work. We’re shutting down two landfill sites. We’ve done extensive renovation with them, one at Olusosun and Egbeda. In Olusosun, we are spreading laterite on it. We hope in three years time, it will come down.

Beyond that, we have 100 contractor trucks which are going to be launching before the end of this month. We have also imported and fabricated 150 dino bins, which are also going to launch before the end of this month. So, these are all things that are in the cooler, and that we’re going to see. There is Continued on page 21

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY MAY 13, 2021

POLITICS

‘There’s Nothing Amotekun is Doing Today That My Neighbourhood Watch Doesn’t Do’ direct intervention in the environment. We have ordered 40,000 waste bins that we’re going to give out to tenements in front of their various houses. We will continue to ensure the PPP model that we’re using and ensuring waste collection and management is in place.

People come around and say that they can do waste conversion. I’ve had over 20 presentations but I’ve not seen the person that will write the cheque yet. If I see somebody that wants to do waste to energy today, I’ll give them the concession, but a lot of people come and say that they can do it, but nobody has actually signed it up to be able to do it, so that’s why we have not done full waste to energy conversion. But we’re doing a lot of waste management in terms of plastics and recyclable ones.

On technology and education, we’ve had over 1000 projects in educational space.

Recently, I commissioned four schools concurrently. In the course of this week, all the cabinet members will be going out to different local government areas to commission schools because there are too many. We have increased about 500 new classrooms, we have built over 2000 hostel accommodations in our boarding schools.

We’ve had over 100,000 new benches and tables in our schools. We’ve done almost every impact that we can, so all the commissioners will just go there and be cutting tape because there are so many of them.

For the first time we are actually building brand new schools. There are three brand new schools that we’re building. There are two in Badagry. Those are some of our intervention, infrastructure, in education.

We’ve recruited about 1500 new teachers.

We’ve started what we call Eko Excel, which is a tablet or handheld device at a primary school. We’re not leaving primary school to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) or local government, we’re actually directly paying more money there than any other person has done in the last 10 years.

So we have a tablet now they’re using, Eko Excel The whole idea of the Eko Excel is that all of your primary school teachers can have a single means to identify what their curriculum will be and be able to also time. At the back end, you will know which teacher in the class actually uploaded and treated those lessons, so that you can monitor them off site. Outside of that, we’re ensuring that we can use technology as a strong enabler for our schools. I’m sure you’re aware about our 3000 Metropolitan fibre optics for fibre in Lagos. The red, yellow, green cable on the road is a 3000 kilometre fibre grid that we’re putting in this city. We have done 1800... it is PPP, but we are the enablers. We gave them all the right of way, concessions, and the approvals that are required. Even while we were building our routes, we were creating the dots for them. What that griding will do for us is that the first 100 schools that will have fibre in the schools because we are launching before the end of this month.

I have a list of the schools already, at least I have a list of 80 schools already. We will have about 100 fibre in those schools, enhancing internet capability. It is meant to go around all our privates, all our public secondary schools, and of course our hospitals and our public buildings, that’s the plan that we have. Once you have fibre, which is the new oil, that’s data, before the end of the year, in the private sector area, there are two Marines that are lagging in Lagos.

The amount of 4G, 5G that’s going to come into our system will allow internet and data availability. We’ve seen what COVID has done for all of us, we all know that data is one of the things that we must do, so we’re building that infrastructure to be able to help that sector.

Last year we also supported techpreneurs.

We gave out grants over N250 million using the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC). It is headed by the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos.

We have the grant and someone even got a grant of N25 million, and some of them have actually been recommended to hire things now on tech space. This year, they are asking for N500 million but I think we’ve given approval for up to N350 million. Let them go and identify young, vibrant tech

Sanwo-Olu

startups that we can support and we can be an enabler for them. So these are some of our own direct interventions, we’re building the real Yaba Tech Hub. Google, Facebook are working with us on that. We have issues with land acquisitions and all of that so we are just meant to pay off all of the families around that place and we’ll have the land.

It is on 7.5 hectares of land and so we’re building like a campus for techpreneurs and startups to support that industry. We believe that technology also can be a strong driver of our government policy. In Alausa, we call it Alausa Campus Infrastructure campus infrastructure, where all our offices we’re using ourselves as a test case that we have there. On top of our 3000 fibre optics is also what we call the Safe City Project, which people have said that some people have attempted to do. We are actually doing it, where we said that we’re going to build a smart city. The first set of 120 cameras are live as we speak, in different parts of the city. We’re going to 2000. That’s why we don’t make any noise about it yet. So, it’s something that we are funding directly, and it’s supposed to help us on security, on traffic management, on investigation. A city like this must use technology as a strong enabler to reduce crime. And so we believe that that’s the way to go. So all of these are sitting on our technology infrastructure.

In making Lagos a 21st century economy, we will look at infrastructure, housing, energy, agriculture, and each of those sectors, there are lots of things.

On Infrastructure, I can tell you with all sense of modesty that we’re intervening on the roads. In fact, people have complained that we’re doing too many roads concurrently and we’re not shying away from that. We believe that’s the way to go. We believe that road is one thing that, even if you don’t use my hospital or school, you’ll use my road. It’s a strong enabler. From Ikoyi to

VI, from Ikorodu to Epe to Badagry to Ojo. We’ve done the same in housing. In two years, we’ve commissioned about eight housing projects. And so we have about 4000 housing blocks and there are still so many that are working-in-progress that we haven’t commissioned yet. This, we believe, is just a dot. All of these things are meant to be enablers. It is really to work with the private sector, and get them to do a lot quicker and faster than us. We’re giving out a sizable number of lands to serious and identified private developers that we can partner with, and they can use their own equity and their own funds to be able to provide houses that are affordable and accessible. So these are conversations that are going on.on agric, we just launched our five-year roadmap. Tough area for us but we said that even with our small size, we cannot fold our hands and not intervene. You know about our rice mill, we will complete it this year. We’ve gotten three state governments that are doing massive rice farming. The states are in the north central and they are supporting us extensively. On the meat value chain, we consume about 60 to 65 per cent of total meat that has been brought down here. So we said, let’s even know what is happening. Let’s be able to know where these meat are coming from. Let’s even have our own means of breeding. We set out 100 hectares of land that we’re going to turn into feedstock. The land is being cleared as we speak. They even offered to give me two hectares, which I’ll be checking just to encourage us. Here in the State House, we have a snail farm, poultry, fish and small farms. And we eat some of those things and that’s part of what we are trying to promote. Urban farming. So that we can reduce dependence on external feeding in our culture.

On energy, that’s one area we haven’t done as much as we wanted. The reason

Fortunately and unfortunately has only two borders: Atlantic Ocean and Ogun state. Ogun State is not in any form a forest, it’s all a community built up and the terrain of Lagos, also does not even support heavy forestry. So in terms of the structure and what is meant to achieve, we do not fully fall into that geographical enclave. But we are in sympathy support of it and we actually also bought our vehicles. One of the problems of governance is building structures and layers upon layers and replicating the same thing. And so, are we going to kill my neighbourhood watch, because I want to create a name, and just have a 200 or 30-man, the answer is no. What exactly are they meant to do? There’s nothing that Amotekun is doing today that my Neighbourhood Watch does not do

being they are still heavily regulated. They will tell you it is deregulated but it’s not true. We’ve had plans with the Discos to intervene, but each time we do it, we meet a brick wall. They’ve said to us that there’s so many stimulus that we put together, but they will tell you that you still need to enter their own system for it to work for you. So we continue to have that negotiation. We have brought out our own energy master plan but in terms of engagement with them, we are still fighting but they are our friends.

We will continue to engage. We have 20,000 metres that we have ordered that we want to use to send metres to people’s houses.

Twenty thousand we have ordered and we said to them that we want to put those metres out there and they said to us that if they do, they will be the one to put the energy there, so who owns the metres. These are some of the hiccups that we have in that sector, that is not allowing us to intervene as much as we will, but on our own, our Lagos electricity port, we’re doing 1200, which will fit in right around Lagos. You will notice that the LED that you have on Third Mainland Bridge, there are bright white LED lights.

We just started installing them, and you will see those installations in the next three months. They’re massive. In fact, because I tested it, I turned off my headlights while driving and I could still see. These are high, LED lights that we believe that our citizens need, and we’re doing it on 1200 roads, in all of our highways and streets. So these are part of our interventions on energy.

On entertainment and tourism, entertainment is a place where we see a lot of employment being generated. We see a lot of people that if we enable them, they can create employment for a lot of our citizens.

What have we done? We have directly looked at the sector and decided to work with the private sector. So we set up the Lagos Ebony Academy. Lagos Ebony Academy is training film producers, film editors. It’s all grants that we put on the table for that sector. It’s been run by EbonyLife. There’s also another company called Del-York Academy.

We signed an online training for 1500. We launched it about two weeks ago, they are treating them right now to develop content everywhere in the world. And at the end of their exercise, they’re going to do real creative stuff, in which they will turn to producers or movie directors. Just last week we also set up another committee where Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) is the chairman. We’re also again, giving them grants for people that have strong storylines, but they don’t have producers, they don’t have sponsors that will take those storylines into filmmaking.

So we’ve set up a grant, like we did with technology, where I said that we’re giving people money. The committee is meant to support owners of scripts with the grants, just to be able to employ Lagosians and people in that sector to be able to take their film, either to the cinema or to Netflix. So, these are some of the problems that we know they have in that sector. One of the things we said to them when we started, we can bring a lot more private sector, to say that the government has put this, it is live, real and working. That we also support this industry, because that’s really what they need. If we can support them, they can employ a lot of people, and that’s one of the places where we believe we’re helping out. We have a one billion Naira tourism fund. We realise that a lot of them might not be able to access it because of all of these small conditions that are inherent but the fund is there by Lagos State Employment Trust Fund. On the tourism side is to look at it and let’s continue to be an enabler. We have 18 different sites in Badagry that were completed and are tourist places for the future of the tourism industry in this state. There are also one or two private sector led beach lines that are currently being constructed and we have given them next to nothing in terms of fees or charges just to support them, or be able to create that tourism ecosystem for our citizens. So we believe in these places too, the government cannot be into everything but we can intervene.

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

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Quick Takes Surendran Becomes Airtel Nigeria CEO

ÓÜÞÏÖ ÏÞáÙÜÕÝ Ó×ÓÞÏÎ ̙ ÓÑÏÜÓË̚ ÒËÝ ËØØÙßØÍÏÎ ÞÒÏ ËÚÚÙÓØÞ×ÏØÞ ÙÐ Ü˛ ˛ ßÜÏØÎÜËØ ËÝ ÓÞÝ ËØËÑÓØÑ ÓÜÏÍÞÙÜ ËØÎ ÒÓÏÐ âÏÍßÞÓàÏ ÐÐÓÍÏÜ áÓÞÒ ÏÐÐÏÍÞ ÐÜÙ× ßÑßÝÞ ͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ˛

Ø ËÎÎÓÞÓÙؘ ßÜÏØÎÜËØ ÒËÝ ÌÏÏØ ËÚÚÙÓØÞÏÎ ÞÙ ÞÒÏ âÏÍßÞÓàÏ Ù××ÓÞÞÏÏ ËÝ ÏÑÓÙØËÖ ÚÏÜËÞÓØÑ ÓÜÏÍÞÙܘ ÜÏÚÙÜÞÓØÑ ÞÙ ÞÒÏ ÙÐ ÓÜÞÏÖ ÐÜÓÍË Ö͘ ËØÎ ÙØÞÙ ÞÒÏ ÙËÜÎ ÙÐ ÓÜÞÏÖ ÏÞáÙÜÕÝ ̙ ÓÑÏÜÓË̚ Ó×ÓÞÏβ ÑßØÝËØãË áÓÖÖ ÌÏÍÙ×Ï ËØËÑÓØÑ ÓÜÏÍÞÙÜ ËØÎ ÒÓÏÐ âÏÍßÞÓàÏ ÐÐÓÍÏÜ ÙÐ ÓÜÞÏÖ ÐÜÓÍË áÓÞÒ ÏÐÐÏÍÞ ÐÜÙ× ͯ ÍÞÙÌÏÜ ͯ˜ͰͮͰͯ˜ áÓÞÒ Ë ÞÜËØÝÓÞÓÙØ ÚÏÜÓÙÎ ÐÜÙ× ͯ ßÑßÝÞ ͰͮͰͯ˛ ÓÜÞÏÖ ÓÑÏÜÓË ËØØÙßØÍÏÎ ÞÒÏ ÜÏÚÖËÍÏ×ÏØÞ ÙÐ ÑßØÝËØãË ÓØ Ë ÝÞËÞÏ×ÏØÞ˜ ÜÏÍÏØÞÖã˛ ÍÍÙÜÎÓØÑ ÞÙ ÞÒÏ ÝÞËÞÏ×ÏØÞ˜ ßÜÏØÎÜËØ ÒËÝ ÌÏÏØ áÓÞÒ ÒËÜÞÓ ÓÜÞÏÖ ÝÓØÍÏ Ͱͮ​ͮͱ˜ ËØÎ ÒËÝ ÍÙØÞÜÓÌßÞÏÎ Ó××ÏØÝÏÖã ÓØ àËÜÓÙßÝ ÜÙÖÏÝ ËÍÜÙÝÝ ÍßÝÞÙ×ÏÜ ÏâÚÏÜÓÏØÍϘ ÝËÖÏÝ ËØÎ ÌßÝÓØÏÝÝ ÙÚÏÜËÞÓÙØݲ Ø ÒÓÝ ×ÙÝÞ ÜÏÍÏØÞ ÜÙÖÏ ËÝ ËÜØËÞËÕ˘ áÒÓÍÒ ÓÝ ÞÒÏ ÖËÜÑÏÝÞ ÍÓÜÍÖÏ ÓØ ÓÜÞÏÖ ØÎÓË áÓÞÒ ÙàÏÜ ͯ͜ ÌÓÖÖÓÙØ ÓØ ÜÏàÏØßϘ ßÜÏØÎÜËØ ÎÏÖÓàÏÜÏÎ ÏâÍÏÚÞÓÙØËÖ ÚÏÜÐÙÜ×ËØÍÏ áÓÞÒ ÝÓÑØÓÐÓÍËØÞ ×ÙàÏ×ÏØÞ ÓØ ÜÏàÏØßÏ ×ËÜÕÏÞ ÝÒËÜÏ ̙ ̚ ÙàÏÜ ÖËÝÞ ÐÏá ãÏËÜݘ ÍßÜÜÏØÞÖã ËÞ ͳͲ ÚÏÜ ÍÏØÞ˛ Ï ÒËÝ ÙàÏÜ ͱͮ ãÏËÜÝ ÙÐ ÌßÝÓØÏÝÝ ÏâÚÏÜÓÏØÍϘ ÓØÍÖßÎÓØÑ ͯͳ ãÏËÜÝ ËÞ ÏÜÙⲠßÜÏØÎÜËØ áÓÖÖ ÞÜËØÝÓÞÓÙØ ÓØÞÙ ÒÓÝ ØÏá ÜÙÖÏ ÐÜÙ× ͯ ßØÏ ͰͮͰͯ˜ ËØÎ ÝÚÏØÎ ÞÒÏ ÞÓ×Ï ÙØÌÙËÜÎÓØÑ ÓØÞÙ ÞÒÏ ÌßÝÓØÏÝÝ ßØÞÓÖ ͱͯ ßÖã ͰͮͰͯ˜ ÞÒÏ ÝÞËÞÏ×ÏØÞ ÐßÜÞÒÏÜ ÝËÓβ

GTR, TechnologyMirror Plan Virtual Forum

FACILITY TOUR

L-R: Managing Director, Lagos Free Zone (LFZ),Dinesh Rathi; Head of Chancery, High Commission of India in Nigeria, Mr. Rachit Rawat; High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, Mr. Abhay Thakur; Customer Service Manager, Lagos Free Zone(LFZ),Tega OscarEde II and Project Leader – Power & Gas, Lagos Free Zone(LFZ), Prem Krishna, during the visit of the High Commissioner of India to Nigeria to the Lagos Free Zone in Lagos...recently

Telcos Await NCC’s Approval for 5G Rollout Stories by Emma Okonji Telecommunication operators have said they are ready to apply for 5G licence to enable them rollout the service across Nigeria.

The operators disclosed this through their umbrella body, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).

Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that telecoms operators were ready for 5G rollout, since most of the handsets and mobile devices recently produced by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), are 5G compatible.

According to Adebayo, “The industry is ripe and ready for 5G rollout and telecoms operators are also ready for 5G rollout. Operators have been involved in network rollout and expansion, and some have done the necessary upgrade required

TELECOMS for 5G rollout.

“What remains is to commence field trials of the networks, where several sites will be connected, before the commercial rollout of 5G network. MTN for instance, did sample trial of 5G rollout in three cities in 2019, and that was in preparation for the field trial that will connect multiple sites, before the commercial rollout.”

Allaying fears that 5G rollout comes with health risks, Adebayo said the anticipated field trial would prove operators right that the technology poses no health hazard to telecoms consumers. “So if after the field trials, there are no negative health impact, then the public will accept 5G rollout. I believe that the field trials will testify to the non-harmful nature of

5G rollout,” Adebayo said.

THISDAY’s investigation however showed that MTN, Airtel, 9mobile and Globacom were ready to explore the emerging 5G technology, anytime the NCC is ready to release licence and spectrum for 5G rollout.

A source close to MTN, told THISDAY that the readiness of MTN Nigeria, dated back to 2019, when it became the only telecoms operator to launch a sample of 5G trial test on its network in three cities: Abuja, Calabar and Lagos.

According to the source, MTN has the network capacity for 5G rollout, and would just upgrade its existing network capacity and make few changes and the network would be ready for 5G rollout.

Another source close to 9mobile said although 9mobile does not have 5G network on ground, but that it was already

rolling out 4G network, which would enable it to rollout its 5G network, anytime NCC releases 5G spectrum licence.

THISDAY also gathered from Airtel and Globacom that they would apply for 5G licence, once NCC gives the approval for 5G rollout in the country.

In preparation for 5G rollout, NCC, in 2019, gave approval to MTN to launch a trial test of 5G rollout on its network.

In 2020, NCC released a Draft Consultation Document on 5G rollout. The draft document, which was published on the Commission’s website, called for comments from telecommunications operators, industry stakeholders and the general public.

In readiness for 5G rollout, NCC, last week, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Nigerian Continued on page 24

Ogun, Benue, 27 Others Charge above N145 for RoW Out of the 36 states in the country, 29 of them, including Ogun, Benue, Rivers and Lagos, still charge above the recommended rate of N145 per linear metre on Right of Way (RoW), THISDAY investigation has revealed.

The federal government, through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, on January 22, 2020, had a discussion with the members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), facilitated by its chairman, the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, where it was agreed to streamline RoW charges across the states to a unified rate of N145 per linear metre.

But as at this week, THIS-

TELECOMS DAY findings showed that only seven states have agreed to fix RoW charges at N145 per linear metre, while others still charge between N1,000 and N6,000 per linear metre.

Executive Secretary, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbolahan Awonuga, who confirmed the arbitrary charges on RoW across states, said the association was still in discussion with the 29 states, while some of the states have refused to shift grounds on their charges.

According to Awonuga, the seven states included Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau, Ekiti, Kwara, Anambra and Imo, while some among them

were even charging zero cost for RoW. Awonuga confirmed that while Benue State charges N2,500 per linear metre, Ogun State charges N4,000 per linear metre, while another state charges N6,000 per linear metre.

The minister had said: “At that meeting, I made a presentation on the benefits of broadband and requested the buy-in of the governors for the implementation of Broadband Plan and the Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria, and the governors unanimously agreed to adopt a maximum of N145/linear metre. Some of the governors have even waived this amount altogether.

“Many of the governors have begun full implementa-

tion and some have notified us in writing. We received reports that some states have introduced some extraneous charges that have increased the charges beyond the amount agreed. We are discussing with states involved in such cases, with a view to addressing the disparity.”

Before the January 2020 meeting there was disparity in the fees charged by state governors in their respective states, which range between N1,000 to N6,000 per linear metre.

Awonuga explained that Lagos still charge N750 per linear metre, which was the agreement the state reached with telecoms operators after a Continued on page 24

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Vulnerable Persons in Yobe Get Cash Transfers

ÒÏ ÏÜÍã ÙÜÚÝ˪ ˩ ßÓÖÎÓØÑ ÏÝÓÖÓÏØÍÏ ÓØ Ù×ÚÖÏâ ÜÓÝÓÝ ̙ ̚˪ ÚÜÙÑÜË××Ï ÐßØÎÏÎ Ìã ÞÒÏ ßÜÙÚÏËØ ØÓÙؘ ÒËÝ ÝÓÑØÏÎ Ë ØÏá ÚËÜÞØÏÜÝÒÓÚ áÓÞÒ ˪ÏÖÖÙ ÓÑÓÞËÖ ÓØËØÍÓËÖ ÏÜàÓÍÏݘ ÙáØÏÜÝ ÙÐ ÞÒÏ Ù Ù ÑÏØÞ ÏÞáÙÜÕ˜ Ë ÝßÌÝÓÎÓËÜã ÙÐ ÓÑÏÜÓ˘ ÞÙ ÏÐÐÓÍÓÏØÞÖã ÎÏÖÓàÏÜ ËßÞÙ×ËÞÏÎ ÍËÝÒ ÞÜËØÝÐÏÜÝ ËØÎ ÚÜÙàÓÎÏ ËØ ËàÏØßÏ ÐÙÜ ÚÜÙÑÜË××Ï ÚËÜÞÓÍÓÚËØÞÝ áÓÞÒ ÙÜ áÓÞÒÙßÞ ÌËØÕ ËÍÍÙßØÞÝ ÞÙ ÜÏÍÏÓàÏ ÐßØÎݲ ÒÏ ÚËÜÞØÏÜÝÒÓÚ áÓÖÖ ÕÓÍÕ̋ÝÞËÜÞ ÞÒÏ ßÝÏ ÙÐ Ù Ù ÑÏØÞ ÓØ ÞÒÏ ÎÓÝÞÜÓÌßÞÓÙØ ÙÐ ÍÙØÎÓÞÓÙØËÖ ËØÎ ßØÍÙØÎÓÞÓÙØËÖ ÍËÝÒ ÞÜËØÝÐÏÜÝ ÞÙ ͯͲ˜Ͱ͵ͮ ÒÙßÝÏÒÙÖÎÝ ÓØ Ë×ËÞßÜß ËØÎ ÙÞÓÝÕß× Ý ÓØ ÙÌÏ ÝÞËÞÏ˛ ÒÏ ßÜÙÚÏËØ ØÓÙØ ÓÝ ÐßØÎÓØÑ ÏÜÍã ÙÜÚÝ ÞÙ Ó×ÚÖÏ×ÏØÞ ËØ ËÜÜËã ÙÐ ÏËÜÖã ÜÏÍÙàÏÜã ÓØÞÏÜàÏØÞÓÙØÝ ËÍÜÙÝÝ ÙÜÞÒ̋ÏËÝÞ ÓÑÏÜÓË áÒÓÍÒ ÓØàÙÖàÏÝ ÍËÝÒ ËÝÝÓÝÞËØÍÏ ÞÙ àßÖØÏÜËÌÖÏ ÒÙßÝÏÒÙÖÎÝ ËØÎ ãÙßØÑ ÚÏÙÚÖÏ ÞÙ ÒÏÖÚ ÜÏÝÞÙÜÏ ËØÎ Ó×ÚÜÙàÏ ÖÓàÏÖÓÒÙÙÎݘ ×ËÕÓØÑ ÞÒÏ× ×ÙÜÏ ÜÏÝÓÖÓÏØÞ ÞÙ ÍÙØÐÖÓÍÞ ËØÎ ÍÖÓ×ËÞÏ ÝÒÙÍÕ ËØÎ ÝÞÜÏÝݲ

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ÜÙÑÜË××Ï ÓÜÏÍÞÙܘ ÏÜÍã ÙÜÚݘ Ïä ãË×ßÕËע ÝËÓΘ ˫ ÒÏ ×ËÔÙÜ ÑÙËÖ ÙÐ ÞÒÏ ÚÜÙÑÜË××Ï ÓÝ ÞÙ ÌßÓÖÎ ÞÒÏ ÜÏÝÓÖÓÏØÍÏ ÙÐ ÍÙ××ßØÓÞÓÏݘ Ìã ÚÜÙàÓÎÓØÑ ÞÒÏ× áÓÞÒ ÞÒÏ ÍËÚËÍÓÞã ËØÎ ÜÏÝÙßÜÍÏÝ ÞÙ ÜÏÝÚÙØÎ ÞÙ ÝÒÙÍÕÝ ËØÎ ÝÞÜÏÝÝÏݘ áÒÓÍÒ ÒËàÏ ÌÏÏØ áÙÜÝÏØÏÎ Ìã ÞÒÏ ̋ͯͷ ÚËØÎÏ×ÓͲˬ Ù××ÏØÞÓØÑ ÙØ ÞÒÏ ÍÙÖÖËÌÙÜËÞÓÙؘ ÒÓÏÐ âÏÍßÞÓàÏ ÐÐÓÍÏܘ ˪ÏÖÖÙ ÓÑÓÞËÖ ÓØËØÍÓËÖ ÏÜàÓÍÏݘ ÝÙÜÙ ÝÙÜÙ˜ ÝËÓÎ ÒÓÝ ÙÜÑËØÓÝËÞÓÙØ áËÝ ÍÙ××ÓÞÞÏÎ ÞÙ ÏØÝßÜÓØÑ ÞÒËÞ ÏàÏÜã ÓÑÏÜÓËØ ÓÝ ËÌÖÏ ÞÙ ÝÏË×ÖÏÝÝÖã ËÍÍÏÝÝ ÐÓØËØÍÓËÖ ÝÏÜàÓÍÏÝ ÐÙÜ ÞÒÏÓÜ ÚÏÜÝÙØËÖ ËØÎ ÌßÝÓØÏÝÝ ØÏÏÎݲ

“The industry is ripe and ready for 5G rollout and telecoms operators are also ready. Operators have been involved in network rollout and expansion, and some have done the necessary upgrade required for 5G rollout. What remains is to commence field trials of the networks, before the commercial rollout of 5G network” Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON),

Gbenga Adebayo

24

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD TELCOS AWAIT NCC’S APPROVAL FOR 5G ROLLOUT Communications Satellite (NigComSat), to facilitate the release of contiguous bandwidth in one of the most suitable frequency spectrum bands for early deployment of 5G network services in Nigeria.

The MoU signing ceremony was the high point of discussions by the two organisations on how to relocate the NG-1R satellite of NigComSat to the standard C-band 300MHz (3.9GHz – 4.2GHz) portion of the band, which is considered more suitable in terms of satellite service offering because of the advantage of cheaper terminal devices for end users.

The relocation will leave the non-standard C-band 400MHz (3.5GHz – 3.9GHz) portion of the band for 5G use, while the cost of relocating the NG-1R is expected to be offset from the proceeds of the auction of the 5G spectrum.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, had signed for NCC, while the Managing Director of NigComSat, Dr. Abimbola Alale, signed for NigComSat.

OGUN, BENUE, 27 OTHERS CHARGE ABOVE N145 FOR ROW court settlement on telecoms charges in the state.

Awonuga explained that the reduction of RoW charges to al low as N145 per linear metre, would attract broadband rollout and network infrastructure rollout that would in turn, attract local and foreign investors to invest in the states, aside reduction of telecoms services for telecoms consumers.

According to him, Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan dwelt more about broadband and infrastructure rollout, adding that hike in RoW charges might hinder broadband rollout in the country.

The broadband plan also targets the deployment of nationwide fibre coverage to reach all state capitals, and provision of a point of presence in at least 90 per cent of local government headquarters. It also targets tertiary educational institutions, major hospitals in each state and fibre connectivity at statutory rates of N145/ meter for Right of Way (RoW).

NEWS

Report: 81% Nigerian Consumers Prefer Multiple Payment Options Stories by Emma Okonji A recent research report has shown that after more than one year that the dreaded coronavirus struck the world, global consumer spending habits, Nigerians inclusive, have shifted online, in order to embrace contactless tap-and-go payments and online shopping.

Contactless technology was the digital catalyst to explore new payment options because of its fast, secure, and touchfree experience. Between the first quarter of 2020 and the same period in 2021, more than 100 markets saw contactless as a share of total in-person transactions grow by at least 50 per cent.

The report of the research conducted by Mastercard, showed that in Nigeria, the adoption of new payment technologies was rising, and consumer appetite for new, fast and flexible digital experiences continues to grow.

The Mastercard New Payments Index showed that over three in four Nigerian consumers, which is about 84 per cent, will prefer to shop at small businesses, if they offered more payment options. About 81 per cent noted they would be more excited to shop at retailers that can offer the latest payment methods, and an equal proportion. Another 81 per cent said they would be more loyal to retailers who offered multiple payment options.

According to the report, the

behavior shift was reinforced by the desire for consumer choice, with 89 per cent saying that they expect to make purchases when they want and how they want.

“The businesses that can provide multiple ways to shop and pay are best positioned to meet these expectations. As the demand for emerging payments and choice continues, it requires a wider range of payment solutions, insights, and products to meet the accelerating enthusiasm for the future state of pay,” it stated.

The report index also showed

that 96 per cent of Nigerian consumers would consider using at least one emerging payment method, such as cryptocurrency, biometrics, contactless, or QR code, in the next year.

Over two-thirds of respondents, about 66 per cent, agree they have tried a new payment method they would not have tried under normal circumstances, but the pandemic has galvanized people to try flexible new payment options to get what they want, when they want it.

Analysing the report, the Chief Product Officer at Mastercard, Craig Vosburg, said: “The pandemic made us think differently, partly out of necessity. To deliver the choice and flexibility that consumers need – and increasingly expect –retailers worldwide need to offer a range of payment solutions that are easy to access and always on. As we look ahead, we need to continue to enable all choices, both in-store and online, to shape the fabric of commerce and make the digital

economy work for everyone.”

Division President, Mastercard, sub-Saharan Africa, Raghav Prasad, said: “The world as we now know it has changed dramatically since the outbreak of the pandemic, accelerating long-term shifts in consumer transaction and payment methods. We continue to work with our merchants, fintechs and banking partners to rapidly innovate payment options that meet consumer needs while ensuring we drive financial and digital inclusion.”

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

L-R: Director, Commonwealth Youth Council, Trans-African Youth Initiative (TAYI), Ahmed Culibally; Country Representative, Bakare Luqman; Assistant Head of Mission, Helen Avidime; Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) Gbenga Adebayo; Publicity Secretary, Damian Udeh; Secretary, Gbolahan Awonuga; Director, Publicity at TAYI, Olatunji Dare and Director of Mobilisation, Victor Collins, at the award presentation to ALTON by TAYI in Lagos...recently

Summitech Restates Commitment to Innovative Healthcare Solutions Summitech Computing Limited has disclosed plan to upgrades its hospital management software in the coming weeks.

The upgrades would also come with an expansion programne to increase the reach of its services.

Founder and CEO of Summitech Computing Limited, Mr. Adekunle Kunle-Hassan, who made the disclosure at a virtual media briefing said: “To strengthen our health system and make it uncompromised, effective and efficient, Summitech recognises the gap and introduced the first version of Indigo software app.

“The software is one that finds ways of trimming financial and human resource waste and make the system responsive to the real health needs of the people and enhance the hospital visit experience. Indigo was built with the aim of digitizing patient records, reducing patient wait time, improving hospital management of its inventory and payments and access to comprehensive reports.

“Initial tests have proven the software to achieve a fully utilized and efficient hospital management system. This is currently used across eight

healthcare centres in Nigeria, including the largest eye clinic in sub-Saharan Africa.”

The Chief Operating Officer, Summitech Computing Limited, Mr. Babatope Olosunde, noted that apart from the company’s positive healthcare footprint, the company was committed to provide great commercial benefits from its products.

“We ensure that hospitals, developers and other clients alike can look forward to a high standard of execution, speed, and great quality products.

Our IT technical support goes beyond monitoring and

maintaining computer systems and networks of our clients, we ensure that their businesses are transformed into profitable and data-driven organisations where collaborations and access to mission critical data is achieved,” Olosunde added.

As an ICT company with a global reach, the company aims to expand on the existing successes of its products. An example is Git Explorer, a one-stop open-source software created for developers to access a library of Git commands and aid their work process.

Git Explorer has been used

in over 40 countries with the USA housing the largest number of users of the software.

Summitech is also impacting the tech community by hosting a yearly Quality Assurance training which provides a pathway for more young people to work in the tech industry.

According to Olosunde, the top three trainees would be offered a 3-month internship position at Summitech. This year, Summitech got certified by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) and the training will be coming up later this month.

Econet Group, Mastercard Partner on Fintech Solutions Nosa Alekhuogie Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Asst. Editor, Money Market

Nume Ekeghe

Senior Correspondent

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) ÜÙ×ÙÝÏÖÏ ÌÓÙÎßØ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) ××ËØßÏÖ ÎÎÏÒ (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

The Econet Group, through its subsidiary, Cassava Fintech International and Mastercard have entered into a strategic partnership to advance digital inclusion across Africa and collaborate on a range of initiatives including expansion of the Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) TravelPass.

TravelPass is a digital health pass developed by Cassava Fintech and offered in conjunction with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

It is accessible to users of Cassava Fintech’s Sasai SuperApp, and is recognised as one

of the leading initiatives in the fight against the cross-border spread of Covid-19 in Africa.

Mastercard is partnering with Cassava Fintech to enhance the security of TravelPass through Mastercard’s Community Pass platform.

Mastercard Community Pass is an interoperable digital platform facilitating service delivery for marginalised individuals and communities, including access to critical health services like patient care plan tracking for Covid-19.

The joint initiative between Mastercard and Cassava Fintech, seeks to offer a unified solution with greater convenience and enhanced

security, that is expected to promote safe cross border travel in Africa in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The partnership will also allow both organisations explore collaboration such as the further integration of the Community Pass with Cassava Fintech’s mobile and financial services, acquiring and processing of card payments across the continent, along with the introduction of a virtual or physical card on the Sasai SuperApp. CEO at Cassava Fintech, Darlington Mandivenga, said the partnership with Mastercard would pave the way for both companies to

jointly tackle the challenges facing African economies as they re-open post the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to work with Mastercard to explore solutions that will, among other things, mitigate the risk of falsified presentation of a third party’s Travel Pass at access and transit points,” Mandivenga said, adding that the same technology could also be used in payment solutions.

Cassava Fintech uses an integrated model to provide financial and digital services to ensure a “financially inclusive future that leaves no African behind”.

Divisional President, Southern Africa, Mastercard, Mark Elliott, said: “We look froward to joining hands with Cassava Fintech in exploring new solutions that will make a difference and benefit the continent. In addition to digital innovation for future travel, Cassava will also leverage our secure payments network to advance access to financial services.”

Mastercard is a leading global technology company focused on building an inclusive, sustainable digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere, by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible.

25

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Sodiya: Electronic Voting Will Address Nigeria’s Electoral Challenges President, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Adesina Sodiya, stated the need for the establishment of a stress test laboratory to validate all information technology products before they are released to the market, among their sundry issues. Emma Okonji presents the excerpts:

T

here have been complaints about substandard products in the Nigerian technology market space.

How has the implementation of local content policies helped in addressing the issue?

Of course, there are policies on local content in Nigeria coupled with the Executive Orders, but the challenge is that we are not yet there, when it comes to local content development. What people normally tell us is that we must get our products at par with the foreign counterparts.

There has been clamour for standard information technology (IT) products from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and software development, but I want to reiterate that there is no software need of this nation that cannot be developed locally. On hardware, we have challenges to drive that area. Nevertheless, we need to test and evaluate these solutions before selling or deploying them. You do not horridly put up a system or software and push it out without subjecting to different testing procedures. There was a situation where a school secured computers from an indigenous OEM through NITDA and they told us that within three months some of the systems packed up. We need to do a lot of evaluation, validation and stress tests before we push products into the market. That is why the foreign counterparts keep waxing stronger. NCS thought of setting up testing lab to champion endorsement program for products going into the Nigerian market, but when the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) came on board with the same idea, we decided to relax ours.

We have since been reminding NITDA of the need to build a testing laboratory in the country. Such laboratory will help increase our indigenous products’ competitiveness across the globe.

As an advocacy group, what is NCS’ position on electronic voting system for Nigeria?

The electronic voting (e-voting) system we are using as IT professional body, has features that can assist any organisation to have free and fair voting process. It has auditing features, among others. As a body we have been canvassing for e-voting in Nigeria. We have written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on this. E-voting is a sensitive platform, but it will work perfectly if we want it to work.

The effectiveness depends on the managers, and that is why we will continue to preach e-voting for Nigeria. At a point we received information that INEC met with vendors for possible supplying of e-voting machines, and we frowned at that because you can’t start deploying such technology without sampling the opinion of stakeholders. NCS wasn’t invited.

We have to get it right from the foundational level. E-voting is more technically inclined than the politics itself. It is completely a professional issue. You have to be concerned with the privacy issue, the security; you have to be sure people are not coerced to vote. There are so many things to check in e-voting system, but it is surely the right way to go. One of the major benefits of e-voting is that it eliminates the physical challenges of elections like banditry, attacking of polling units and falsification of election results. People will be able to vote from the comfort of their homes and their votes will count.

E-voting is the way to go in solving some of our electoral challenges. People keep making reference to infrastructural challenges, but the platform does not require so much to set up.

It is not something we can be afraid of. If we can adopt and implement e-payments with transactions running into trillions of Naira, why can’t we implement e-voting successfully? There is need to engage professionals and stakeholders to achieve it.

What is your view about the noninvolvement of IT professionals in the nation’s technology projects?

It is a pity that the federal government is

under one platform that could be accessed by government and different organisations who need IT services?

We are working assiduously to ensure IT groups come under the umbrella body of NCS. So far it has been good. You will notice the proliferation of IT stakeholders and interest groups all over the country. We are working to make sure they come under one umbrella body to give us stronger collective voice. As an umbrella body of all IT professionals, interest groups and stakeholders in the country, NCS is planning to do several things, one of which is pushing for the appointment of IT professionals into the boards of all the agencies, especially IT related institutions. There are case where IT directors of most institutions, do not have the relevant IT skills and they are just occupying those positions without adding value to the system. This abnormally exists in tertiary institutions, research institutions and government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). We want square pegs in the square holes going forward.

What is NCS doing to assist the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to achieve its mandate?

We are monitoring the registration of the National Identification Number (NIN), as well as SIM registration and integration, which are being carried out by NIMC. The government agency is doing well, but it still needs the support of NCS to deliver on its mandate. A situation where we still have silos of databases in the country, does not speak well of us a country. So we need a single database where all the different databases will be harmonized into a single database and NIMC needs the support of NCS to achieve this. By the time we have a robust single database, our national security challenges will be easy to manage and control.

Sodiya

undermining the technology skills of Information Technology (IT) professionals in the country, and does involve them in most of the nation’s critical technology projects. What government did not realise is that it would achieve faster and better results when indigenous IT professionals are involved in national technology projects. The idea of depending on foreign IT professionals to execute sensitive government projects, puts citizens’ sensitive data at risk and it encourages capital flight in the process.

NCS has experts in all areas of Information Technology. We have professionals with global competitive skills that we need as a nation to drive our IT projects, especially the drive towards achieving digital economy by digitizing all government processes. Government needs to look inwards to support indigenous IT professionals by providing enabling environment.

Recently, a member of NCS, developed and launched home grown solution called Konn3ct, designed for online meetings and conferences that could favourably compete with the likes of Zoom, Microsoft Team, and Webex. Such person needs government support and the enabling business environment to perfect the solution and develop more for the country.

Apart from the IT skills of NCS members, how can the skills from FinTech players who are technology startups, be harnessed?

The FinTech industry is another area where Nigeria has a pool of tech talents that are driving digital transformation in the financial industry sector. With the development of the Financial Technology (FinTechs) startups, the banks are beginning to understand that they can’t continue to look outside. The federal government must also develop the Fintech industry further and replicate the digital transformation of the banking sector in all the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of government, who are slow to digital transformation and who still want to retain the old system of communication. On our part, NCS will continue to educate and engage government in series of discussions that will help fast track digital transformation.

Government’s IT projects have been lopsided, as rural communities appear not to be benefitting from most of the technology projects that have been established by government. What could be responsible for this?

Your observation is right and the reason why it has rural communities have not been benefitting from government’s projects, is because government tends to focus more on city development. To address this divide, government must domesticate its broadband policies, through the domestication of the office of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) across the states and local government areas of the country. When this is achieved, it will ease the decision making of government in matters of IT projects, which will in turn ease the deployment of government services. The federal government will need to make that sacrifice of domesticating broadband policies if government is really serious about developing rural and unserved communities.

NCS, as an advocacy group, has been calling on the federal government and state governors to domesticate the office of NITDA across different states, including other government agencies like Galaxy Backbone. If this is achieved, development across the country will happen faster, especially in the area of infrastructure deployment. The idea of government operating from a single office of NITDA in Abuja, will slow development across the country. This is true because it will be difficult to stay in Abuja and make policies that affect rural areas when it comes to infrastructural deployment. NCS commends the current initiative of NITDA to build ICT hubs in each of the six geopolitical zones, but government could build more hubs if we have NITDA’s offices located in all the states and local government areas of the country.

As the umbrella body of IT professionals, interest groups and stakeholders in the country, what is NCS doing to bring all IT practitioners and IT groups in the country

The federal government recently lifted ban on new SIM cards registration. Would you say the purpose of placing the ban in the first place has been achieved?

Talking about security issues in the country and how we have been able to tackle them vis-a-vis the policy that the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy brought to bear some times ago, it is obvious that as a nation, we actually needed to link the SIM cards with our National Identification Number (NIN), in order to address our security challenges in the country. The policy is actually a good one, because it will help us get the true identity of Nigerians. There are many foreigners in this country that we know nothing about them.

Some of them ran to this country without proper documentations. Essentially, it is a good thing that government took the bold step towards ensuring that all Nigerians are registered and have valid NIN that could be traced from a single database. Coming back to your question about whether the purpose of the ban was achieved before the lifting of the ban, I will say the security challenges we have in Nigeria are still there even with the NIN registration. I think as at the last count the total number of registrations was over 70 million, but Nigeria’s population is over 200 million now. So that shows that we have not also gotten to 50 per cent registration. One could have expected that the majority of Nigerians by now should have been registered. Don’t forget that the immediate registration target was meant to close in January 2021, but it was extended and the Ministry has continued to extend it. The truth is that we cannot as a nation, completely solve security problem in this country overnight, especially if you don’t have a safe and secured national database.

We’re also talking about adopting technology to solve the security challenges. The primary technology here is a valid national database.

So government policy has not yielded the kind of results that we are expecting because not everybody has registered.

Continued on page 26

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Obagbemi: How Facebook Recognises, Supports Creative Talents Facebook’s Corporate Communications Manager for Anglophone West Africa, Oluwasola Obagbemi, in this interview speaks about how the organisation is inspiring millions of creatives with opportunities.

Hamid Ayodeji brings the excerpts: industries in Nigeria and Ghana. They all share the common values of hard work, perseverance, consistency, originality, how they’ve remained relevant, how social media has been instrumental to their growth, and some key lessons for aspiring content creators. They all have inspiring and true stories which are very relevant in today’s society and for young people.

Obagbemi

W

hy is Facebook launching the Creators Campaign?

The Facebook Creators campaign is designed to highlight the inspiring stories of leading content creators who have succeeded in various creative industries using the Facebook family of Apps to inspire other creative artists and connect with communities. The campaign spotlights eight creative artists in Nigeria and Ghana who have built, communicated, and scaled their art and craft to the world using Facebook and Instagram. These artists represent several creative industries ranging from photography, comedy, fashion, dance and content creation.

What does Facebook intend to achieve by spotlighting these eight artists from Nigeria and Ghana?

One of Facebook’s key roles across the continent is supporting and investing in young and diverse creative talent. Through this campaign, we hope to demonstrate Facebook’s commitment to providing a platform where Africans, particularly the youth can be recognised and encouraged to aim even higher. We are committed to helping African youth realise their full potential to inspire them to impact their communities better. With the abundance of creative talents coming out from the region and the growing demand for African creative artists’ footprint on the global stage, we understand that this is the time for African Creatives to share their craft, express themselves, build communities and livelihoods, connect with like-minds, and more. The Facebook Creators campaign gives credibility to and amplifies the incredible talents and works coming out from the burgeoning creative industry in Nigeria and Ghana. It is part of Facebook’s efforts to boost the burgeoning creative industry in West Africa, while inspiring millions of creative minds with the endless opportunities that the Facebook family of Apps provides for their talents across Africa. As of today, Facebook’s family of apps have become not just a platform for their crafts to reside in, but also gives them an opportunity to tell their story as it is to the world. Through the Facebook family of Apps, African creatives can continue to express themselves, tell their stories, monetise their crafts, and pursue their goals. We are excited about the Facebook Creators campaign that offers content creators unique opportunities to communicate their craft and tell their stories.

What are the recurring themes in the stories of the featured creative artists?

These ‘creators’ are selected from several

Who are these eight creative artists from Nigeria and Ghana?

One of the content creators spotlighted in this campaign is Emmanuel Oyeleke, the talented Nigerian photographer who mastered the art of creating breath-taking posed imagery after quitting his job as a computer programmer. The campaign also features Laud Anoo Konadu, popularly known as Dancegod Lloyd. Known for co-founding the Dance with a Purpose Academy and the Rocc Starss Dance Academy, the Ghanaian dance sensation and choreographer regularly shares videos of his dance routines on Instagram with his over 1.1 million followers. Other creative artists featured in the campaign include FocusnBlur (Ghanaian Photographer) who was awarded Ghana’s Best Event Photographer in 2019 and 2020; Funke Adepoju (Nigerian Fashion Designer) who is best known for her premium bespoke ready-to-wear collections; and Kaffy Shafau-Ameh (Nigerian Dancer) who is popularly known for breaking the Guinness World Record for ‘Longest Dance Party’ at the Nokia Silverbird Danceathon in 2006. Also featured in the campaign are Apaokagi Mariam - popularly known as Taaooma (Nigerian Comedian), who plays multiple roles in her comedy skits, hilariously spotlighting how African mothers discipline their children; and Claudia Lumor (Ghanaian Entrepreneur) who is widely known as the founder of Kollage Media, producers of Glitz Africa Magazine, and also the Ghana Tourism Ambassador for Fashion Development and Dream Catchers Academy (Nigerian Content Creators) who are best known for offering educational opportunities, leadership skills, and a better life for underprivileged girls through dance, drama, music, and visual arts.

How can we access these stories told by the creative artists?

All the videos of the featured creative artists are on Facebook Africa page. We also partnered with Pulse Africa to showcase the docu-series on their platforms in Nigeria and Ghana. You can also follow the conversations online using the hashtag #FacebookCreators.

All the featured creators also have their videos on their pages, you may follow them to see their video teasers and full videos.

Where and how long will the campaign run?

The inspirational stories will run as a short documentary series on the Facebook Africa Page as well as on Pulse Africa platforms.

The campaign started in April and will run till May 2021 for five weeks.

Do you have any partners for this campaign?

Yes we do, our partner is Pulse Africa. We selected them because just like ourselves, they are very passionate about providing a forum where some of Africa’s greatest untold stories can see the light. Facebook is about meaningful partnerships that have greater impact in the lives of the people and partnerships like these are for the greater good. We will continue to seek like-minded partners as we continue to tell stories of Africans leveraging Facebook to communicate their craft to the world.

Sodiya: Electronic Voting Will Address Nigeria’s Electoral Challenges In this situation, what should NIMC do to achieve faster results?

We are encouraging NIMC to continue in this direction of ensuring that all Nigerians get registered with a valid NIN. NIMC should also continue with its mobilisation and encouraging if citizens to enroll. There are times when force fails to achieve the desired result. We have seen that even with the threats by the federal government when it said that failure to register within certain period, the SIM card will be disconnected. Even with the policy, registration hasn’t improved as desired, but we take solace in the fact that we have moved from our past situation. Definitely we shall get it right, because a time is coming when NIN will be needed for JAMB examinations and in the filling of certain government documents.

You said the NIN-SIM integration policy is good, although insecurity persists. Do you see the NIN-SIM integration as a measure to address insecurity in the country?

Okay, let me start by saying that when the present government came on board, about six years ago, NCS was pushing at that time, for the need for this country to have a national integrated database. And we were talking to the then Secretary to Government of Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal. In fact, NCS at that time constituted a committee to come up with a model that is suitable for this nation; a model that we can use to actually integrate our different databases. We actually made a presentation to the SGF. We also made other proposals including suggesting the policy of whistle-blowing. The government adopted that policy without even recognising NCS that presented it to government.

So NIN-SIM registration and integration will definitely address insecurity in the country if only we have a single database. Talking about the issue of databases operating in silos, I can tell you that the country is even wasting resources, where the National Population Commission(NPC) operates its own database, the Immigration Service operates a separate database, the Police, Customs, and other agencies of government also operate databases in silos.

So, our presentation centered on the fact that we must have a primary record. The primary and/or foundational record will harmonise these different databases. And that is the direction that NIMC is going now. Don’t forget NIMC had told us not to expect any plastic card. What is important now is the NIN. Despite Executive Orders and the claims by government that there are some improvements in the area of doing business, communities still complain of harsh business environment. What is your assessment about the Ease-of-Doing Business in Nigeria?

To start with, we cannot disassociate the issue of ease-of-doing business from the attention been given to the local government administration. The aspiration of any business owner is to ensure that the business thrives. Nigerians are super intelligent, looking at the products and services our people are coming up with. In a situation where you have a 24-hours business that relies on power generating sets for about 20 hours per day, then it becomes difficult for that business to survive. Before government came up with the Executive Orders, we have had other policies aimed at ensuring ease-of-doing business, but the issue has been multiplicity of agencies playing almost same roles. If you consider the indicators of ease-of-doing business, Nigeria still tilts towards the end. Government needs to concentrate on providing the basic amenities that will impact the small and medium scale businesses positively. At NCS, we will continue to provide the necessary assistance to our members. It is when their business flourishes that they can support the umbrella body. We have a building project on-going, but in the last two years we have not received support from corporate organisations. They would want to support, but the environment isn’t favourable, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic that affected global economy mostly last year.

Nigeria has a new national broadband target of 70 per cent penetration by 2025.

Do you see the country achieving that target based on the infrastructure on ground?

Yes, this question directly speaks to me, because

Sodiya

I am a member of the broadband implementation steering committee. Our focus presently is how to extend bandwidth to underserved and unconnected areas of the country. The government is looking at connecting tertiary institutions and secondary schools, and hubs that will connect SMEs. The targets are actually towards low-income businesses so that any business could be able to promote products and services online. There are considerations for the government to provide assistance to the Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), but most of the complaints from operators are right-of-way (RoW) charges, cost of deployment and other multiple charges. For the RoW the federal government pegged it N145/per linear meter. Some states have adopted rate and others have even extended theirs to zero naira charges while the rest are still considering what to do.

However, the challenge now is about other hidden charges that the sates are leveraging to milk the telecoms companies. Government has been engaging the Governor’s Forum and will continue to discuss with them.

For the target, I see a possibility of achieving the broadband target and we are coming up with strategies towards achieving the 70 per cent broadband penetration target by 2025.

As NCS President, what are your challenges and achievements in the last one year?

When you come to an office with clear intentions and have put strategies in place, you are not going to find some of the things difficult to pursue. Before I became the president I was in the National Executive Council (NEC) of NCS for about eight years. I am fully aware of developments in NCS. So running a society like NCS is more of serving the interest of members.

Many of them are joining the association for professional development. So, they will measure your performance based on how well they are gaining in that area. Therefore, we considered serving members’ interest as crucial. We have focused majorly on education, bringing members to speed with emerging technologies. Don’t forget that this is a dynamic discipline with changes almost daily. We have had a number of capacity building programs in the last one year. In the area of research and development, we have created digital library for our members. All our articles and journals are now available to members online. On NCS-government relationship, we have stepped up engagements and continue to make impacts on policy developments. In areas where we needed to challenge the government, we have done that constructively.

In the area of membership, we have continued to attract attention of practitioners who weren’t considering joining NCS before now. During our induction ceremony last year, we were able to get 800 new members. That means our efforts are paying off. We have set new targets for this year. We are looking at getting up to 1000 IT practitioners for induction this year.

We used to be members of the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP). At a point our membership was terminated, but now we have been reconnected to the body.

We have also renewed our membership with the British Computer Society (BCS), and more international recognitions are coming to NCS. As for the challenges, they are not peculiar to NCS. The challenges are faced by all professional bodies, and some are about funding to executive programs. There are many things we set out to accomplish but have been delayed due to funding.

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BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Odumboni: Waste Management a Collective Responsibility Managing Director, Lagos State, Waste Management Agency, Ibrahim Odumboni, gives insight on how the agency is addressing the state’s waste disposal demands by working with key stakeholders such as PSPs. Ugo Aliogo presents the excerpts:

T

he management of waste in Lagos state is still a big issue.

We are still at agrarian level of generation without effective sorting and open dumping instead of recycling and wealth to wealth/energy generation, why?

The process of waste management (generation, collection and disposal) varies from city to city and it involves a significant financial and human capital investment coupled with demands for advocacy and awareness with residents. The current Lagos State Government administration led by Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with the support of Ministry of Environment and Water Resources led by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, are intone with this and currently leading the way in Nigeria. In relation to recycling, Lagos State has started recycling officially since the inception of the current administration and over the last six months have scaled up big with revamp of the Blue box initiative to Lagos Recycles, the introduction of technology through PAKAM app, provision of incentive scheme, collaboration with corporate organisations for production and distribution of recycling bins to airports, schools, hospitals and other public places, inauguration of Lagos Recyclers Association, capacity building for our certified recyclers and engagement with Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Bank to mention a few. The ultimate goal is to divert 20 per cent of our waste collected which are recyclables from our disposal site.

On disposal of waste and waste to energy initiative, it’s known that there are various approaches to it which includes open dumping, landfilling, sanitary landfill for gasification and incineration system for energy generation plus others. In Lagos, at the moment, we have the landfills system, and in the last nine months, we have expedited efforts to ensure that we move away from that as quickly as possible due to its long-term environmental impact whilst we mitigate that. As we look at the vision of Lagos up to 2030, we need to come up with effective ways of managing our waste disposal in Lagos because the city is surrounded by water and limited in landmass availability. It is important that we have the right choices made rather doing something that is not sustainable. We are discussing with various environmentally centric organisations to give us options to explore. We have also sent our team of experts in-house to different countries and seminars to examine the available waste management models in those countries. We can benchmark our city with countries such as Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Belgium, Netherlands and Venezuela in terms of topography, population and other environmental challenges. We want to achieve something that is more sustainable for Lagos State and Lagosians. It is our goal to ensure that any initiative we embark on is at an affordable cost for the state and residents as well.

What is the mandate given to you by the Lagos state Governor regarding waste management and how much progress have you made to deliver on that?

My responsibilities and mandates given are as spelt out in the Lagos State Environmental Protection and Management Law 2017. It stipulates that myself and my team are saddled with the responsibility to ensure a consistently cleaner Lagos is achieved in an environmentally sustainable way and ensure this is also done with greater consideration given to human health demand. This is also well emphasised under the current administration’s THEMES agenda with the first letter E standing for Environment and Health. Moreover, solid waste management is a collective human responsibility not just the agency as the part we all play determines the benefits to us all and I’m just leading from the front as the responsibility champion. In doing this, we

see a lot of private organisations have joined to support our efforts. We have partners like Heritage Bank, Tangerine life, Rotary clubs, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and others. Stakeholders are getting involved to help move the circular economy supported by recycling and waste to wealth forward. Those are some of the things we are have done apart from welfare package for LAWMA staff, sweepers, capacity building for our staffs and engagement with local communities for effective solid waste management. We are also very proud of our engineering team as they are one of the strongest any agency could desire in Nigeria.

In terms of productivity, our engineering team have the best Hydraulic engineers and we manufacture our own bins from scratch.

Odumboni

collaborate with other agencies within the state, other key stakeholders in the private sector and align with the policies and agendas of our parent ministry. The commitment to effectively manage our solid waste is a daily effort in a proactive manner, therefore all hands has to be on deck to ensure that progress is made on the over 14,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily. When you compare solid waste management collection waste when Visionscape was handling the waste management of the state to what we have now you will begin to see the magnitude of the progress the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration have made over the last almost two years now. Visionscape had a target of 2000 metric tonnes daily averaging over 150 trips compared to the over 800 trips we have completed daily currently. We also have the state mandate of the state to ensure effective and sustainable solid waste management plan is put in place for the future. In terms of deliverables so far, we have made significant progress in the initiation of recycling/ separation of waste from source, launch of LAWMA Academy for promotion of waste education and awareness across all ages, reforming of our PSPs for service optimisation and sustainable capacity building. On disposal we have had a fully rehabilitated landfill and have proactively commence the research for our future needs as we cannot continue with the current conventional approach. I am extremely confident that this administration is on the right course to deliver the first revolution way for waste management in Lagos. As part of our plan for effective solid waste disposal management, we created our own blueprint which led to the inauguration of our Waste Management Unit (WMU). This unit is saddled with the responsibility of carrying out research and development activities to ensure sustainability in relation to solid waste disposal. They research on what we have currently and what will do in the future, they travel to various countries to understudy latest developments efforts in waste management 1and examine what various global stakeholders are saying.

What are the key growth initiatives that LAWMA under your watch has launched and what has been the progress?

One of the key growth initiatives we have implemented under my watch is the repositioning of LAWMA which was championed by the state governor. The focus has been how to better position LAWMA while considering the future ahead. So, we decentralised our

operations to ensure that we are present in all Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos metropolis and be more proactive rather than reactive. The second growth initiative is PSP reform. We have reformed our PSP, organised capacity building for them and given them minimum standards to ensure deliverables. LAWMA is more regulatory rather than participatory now, and by doing this we have been able to achieve more productivity in terms of trips to landfill and turnaround time for operations. More importantly, the Governor helped us to address our disposal challenges with extensive rehabilitation of all our landfills for long-term gain. The third is the foundation of LAWMA academy, the first citadel of learning for solid waste management in Africa and Sub-Saharan Asia. The academy is aimed at bridging the gap between practical, academic and theories and eradication of myths whilst creating a conducive learning environment for solid waste management.

It’s also tasked with carrying out research, awareness creation, advocacy and education.

We recently partnered with Lagos State State Universal Basic Education Board, (LASUBEB) to train primary school teachers across the state on solid waste management. The aim is for them to include waste management in their curriculum. The training will help primary school pupils to understand what it takes to manage waste and implementing effective waste management strategies as a culture. So we are trying to catch these primary school pupils young basically, and encourage them to imbibe good waste disposal culture in them. The hope is that when they are grown, they will become change agents with their teachers, and correct the wrong narratives of ineffective solid waste management and other environmental challenges.

Another fantastic initiative we have recorded success is the Lagos Recycle programme which supports of separation from source and recycling plans. We have really gone big on recycling with the support of Mr. Governor and have the key aim to ensure that 20 percent of what we take to landfill is duly intercepted. The progress made on recycling will help ensure consistent supply of raw materials for upcycling manufacturing companies, creation of over 6,000 informal jobs and reduction of environmental impact. For instance, it takes a long time for singled used plastic to decay, so we cannot continue with the conventional approach as these plastics will outlive all of us. So the best thing to do is to take a position around it and you can

Did you retain the old stakeholders that were used under former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration or you on-boarded new ones?

Before the end of the previous administration, the major stakeholders (PSPs and Co) were asked to return back to work immediately as the state needed them. Initially, there were capacity challenges but one of the first thing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu did on assumption of office was to do a capacity review for them to be able to know the extent of their capability deficit and how government can help them to bring Lagos back to the clean site it was before. Subsequently with the provision of a conducive environment and capacity building support we have been able to grow the number beyond what it was before. About 87 new PSP operators have joined the sector since the aftermath of Visionscape with minimum of two active trucks despite #EndSARs, COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession. The sector continues to prosper under the administration of Mr. Governor.

What is the plan for Olusosun dumpsite, and did you adopt the landfill built by Visionscape?

The future goal for Olusosun is to decommission the site and start using it for waste to energy plant where the waste in there can be converted to energy by proponents that have shown interests. Due to recent urbanisation challenges at Olusosun, a latest technology waste management plan is required for the site. The essence of decommissioning the dumpsite is to limit the impacts of the landfill to people living around there. For the dumpsite that Visionscape initiated at Epe, we have adopted that, and we are managing it. It is quite similar to the landfill approach we have at Olusosun. But what we are doing is that we are collaborating with the waste management development team to carry out environmental impact analysis, measures to put in place a sanitary landfill or incineration plant so that we can initiate contemporary solid waste management plan. The aim for us is to ensure that we built something that is environmentally friendly and state-of-the-art technology rather landfilling. For the likes of Olusosun the pre-decommissioning process have started with capping of the sites with laterites in progress, so when it rains, it goes green on it and it will start degenerating and we start recovering the place ready for close so that we can move on.

How much efforts have you put in place in driving environmental sustainability?

Environmental sustainability is very vast, it doesn’t mean living without luxuries, but being aware of your resource consumption and reducing unnecessary waste. Social satisfaction, efficiency improvement and innovation are the key drivers to achieve sustainability. In LAWMA we have sustainability experts in the house, hence we do business across all our programs (from waste collection to disposal, the PSP program, the landfills operations and others) ensuring that our entire operations are based on ensuring that we adhered to the environmental sustainable goals.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Effective Leadership for A’Ibom: Empowering SMEs for Human Capital Sustainable Success Development

Ubong Essien

S

Alim Abubakre

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hile the COVID-19 pandemic is essentially a global health crisis, it is safe to say that every sector and the organisations operating in these settings have been affected. Indeed, it remains not only an unprecedented calamity, but it has also triggered, directly or indirectly, many other socio-economic and political pandemics.

Not only have we seen the deaths of people, but organisations that previously were thriving, have also died. In contrast, others are ailing and are on the verge of being wound up due to the challenging socio-economic headwinds.

However, as bleak as the situation may be, it is worth noting that some organisations have managed to sail through the crisis. These sectors give hope for the world economy and people as these leaders have made deliberate efforts to manage and turn around the situation.

So what’s the secret about such organisations? Is it that they are unique or resistant to the effects of COVID-19? Why are they successfully engaging stakeholders and thriving while others are sadly closing and laying off their staff? Well, without a doubt, there is a leaf to borrow from them.

Taking a keen look at successful organisations and their survival despite the devastating challenges of COVID 19 reveals one thing. They are all serious when it comes to strategic and effective leadership, optimise their capability to make decisions and successfully implement change initiatives. These three are, indeed, the pillars of success during these turbulent times.

As an organisational leader, these are the areas that you need to focus on if you want to survive and gradually get back to your pre-pandemic situation. The good news is that you do not have to learn from your mistakes or research alone. You can learn from others. Most importantly, there are world-renowned thinkers such as TEXEM’s faculties that can guide your recovery towards success.

At TEXEM, we consistently help organisational leaders find pragmatic solutions that can help them overcome the effects of the pandemic and win. We have, therefore, designed a programme in June for you to excel. It will be entirely virtual so that you can participate in it safely from the comfort of your home, office or on the go. We aim to make you a better and effective leader who inspires your organisation to succeed. This programme would be delivered by illustrious Oxford trained Professor Roger Delves, Associate Dean and Professor of Practice at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and educated at the University of Oxford.

Professor Roger Delves expertise is in helping others understand the roles of authenticity and emotional intelligence in Leadership and team engagement.

Professor Roger Delves is a seasoned and first-class coach. He is not only an accomplished academic, but he has also worked with brands from P&G, General

Foods, Mars Masterfoods, Johnson Wax, Bosch, Sony and Sterling Health, helping to create award-winning advertising that moved products. Professor Roger Delves would be applying TEXEM’s tested, proven methodology and track record of training over four thousand executives in delivering this programme.

The programme will run from June 12 to August 3rd, 2021, and it is titled: ‘Effective Leadership For Sustainable Success.’

During the learning period, you will enjoy carefully blended sessions that target all the vital areas you need to focus on as you sharpen your leadership quotient to survive and even thrive despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Most importantly, you will have an opportunity to learn from leading executives. They are ready to share with you their valuable knowledge, practical frameworks, insights and skills that will help you increase performance, achieve your organisational goals and succeed.

To give you a clear picture of what to expect, the programme will be composed of exciting and engaging self-study videos, well-researched and written articles, case studies, games and group activities that last for one hour every day at your leisure.

In addition, there will be a two-hour live virtual coaching studies every weekend during this period.

As usual, TEXEM has lined up a series of participative and enjoyable sessions to ensure that you make maximum use of every opportunity. All the sessions are tailored to be live, engaging and impactful moments for all the participants.

The programme’s methodology will be daily self-study, series of group and individual activities, peer to peer learning and games as a way of refreshing, observation practise, self-reflection, and, of course, not forgetting the weekend impactful live sessions. All these will help you learn and address all the questions you may have about winning during these strange times of COVID-19 and beyond. This is possible since the sessions will be primarily interactive instead of just sitting down to listen to presentations without a chance to seek clarifications, pose questions and seek advice that best addresses the uniqueness of your organisation.

What Are the Expected Benefits of the Programme?

Participating in the programme will help you enhance your leadership capabilities.

More precisely, the programme sessions will help you develop core competencies that you need to implement change at all levels of your organisation during these turbulent times and beyond. As you know, we are living in unprecedented times where the old methods of working are no longer tenable. It is, therefore, imperative to attend this customised executive development programme and learn how to successfully implement change for survival, stimulate progressive recovery and excel.

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

mall and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) constitute the foundation on which any economy rests. In fact, they are the engine room that powers economies around the world, including the developed economies. A country that seeks to have a strong economic base must have a thriving SMEs sector.

This understanding has been playing out in Akwa Ibom State where, in the last six years, Governor Udom Emmanuel has been busy developing the SMEs sector by empowering small businesses and encouraging the setting up of new ones through various interventions that are aimed at supporting the state’s industrialisation efforts.

His administration has been encouraging the people of the state, especially the youths, to demonstrate the Dakkada spirit by taking their destiny in their hands to chart the course that would change their socio-economic circumstances and, in so doing, contribute to the economic development of the state and Nigeria as a whole. In fact, the SMEs sector is one area where the philosophy is finding expression most – through self-help.

The youths are designing their destinies by taking advantage of the numerous opportunities that abound in the state to seek to become business owners in diverse areas such as hospitality for which the state is well known, fashion, agriculture, furniture making, ICT, etc.

Government’s efforts at supporting the growth of the SMEs sector is aimed at enabling it to contribute to the gradually changing status of Akwa Ibom from a public service to a private sectordriven state that would be Nigeria’s industrial hub and a major player in the economy of the West African subregion. A pointer to the government’s commitment to growing this sector is the existence of the Directorate for Microfinance and Enterprise Development, with responsibility to, among others, periodically organize business advisory and training of start-ups in what is tagged, ‘My Entrepreneurship Goals Programme (MEGP).

At one of such trainings that ran for three months, youths were trained and given orientation on businesses that are relevant to the development of the SMEs sector in the 21stCentury. The curriculum of study for the programme was designed to develop small businesses through value addition. A major value addition to the growth of the SMEs sector is government’s commitment to attracting start-up funding for young entrepreneurs.

The Directorate for Microfinance and Enterprise development has been a channel for discovering enterprising youths in the state through the Dakkada entrepreneurship and business campaign. This led to the formation of Dakkada Multipurpose Cooperative Societies in all the 31 local government areas of the state, as well as the Dakkada Business Forum. The recruitment of over 18, 000 Dakkada ambassadors is part of efforts to ginger the youths to participate in shaping the economic fortunes of the state.

The failure of governments in Nigeria at the federal and state levels to match words with action has resulted in a situation in which there is a huge trust deficit between the people and governments. People are wont to view every government promise and action with skepticism and, in some cases, cynicism, if not outright hostility. This doesn’t seem to be the case in Akwa Ibom, where Governor Emmanuel has proved

Emmanuel

to a man whose word is his bond, the reason he has endeared himself to the people of the state.

The governor announced, on assumption of office in 2015, his intention to industrialise a state that was traditionally public service oriented. At that time, the state boasted of only one industrial establishment – Champion Breweries – which stood as a reminder of the Second Republic era of the late Clement Isong, when the state was part of Cross River State. By the time he was ending his first term, he had delivered about 16 functional industries in was nothing short of a feat. No government in Nigeria’s modern history had done that, whether at the federal or state levels.

With every sector – industrialisation, infrastructure, health, manpower development, power, agriculture, aviation, etc – littered with unparalleled achievements, the people of the state have no difficulty trusting him to deliver on every promise he makes.

The enthusiastic response to the effort to establish a strong SMEs sector to support the administration’s industrialisation drive, especially by youths, is evidence of that trust. They now see themselves playing more active roles in their own personal economic emancipation and also contributing to the sustainable development of the state.

There is, at the moment, a frenzy among the youths to participate in the ‘Ibom 3000 Project’, a programme the government is putting in place to train a total of 3000 entrepreneurs in all the 31 local government areas of the state in different areas. The programme targets creation of over 14, 000 SMEs in industrial clusters to be set in the three senatorial districts of the state. The clusters will be equipped to offer the kind of specialized training that would enable entrepreneurs to go into such sectors like agriculture, mining, ICT, hospitality, leather and raffia works, fashion, furniture, confectionary, bakery, etc.

It is quite remarkable that while the government works to create direct, paid employment through establishment of industries in different parts of the state, it also encourages the people to create self-employment through entrepreneurship. It must be noted, also, that every entrepreneur will be in a position to offer employment to others, as there is no kind of business that only one person can operate. The benefits that will accrue in the entire value chain are quite enormous – availability of products and services at the micro, small and medium level, stimulation of economic activities, job creation and improvement in standard of living.

-Essien, a businessman, lives in Uyo.

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

IMAGES

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Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

L-R: Political Officer, U.S Embassy, Dan Renna; Permanent Secretary, Niger Delta Affairs, Babayo Ardo; Honorable Minister, Niger Delta affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Mary Beth Leonard; Honorable Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Omotayo Alasoadura; U.S Deputy Chief of Mission to Nigeria, Kathlen Fitz Gibbon and Political Officer U.S Embassy, Briana Oison during the courtesy visit to the honorable Minister in Abuja....recently AYO AJAYI.

L-R : Guest Lecturer, Dr Daud Amao-Alaga; Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Mr Rauf Olaniyan; and Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Mr Mutiu Agboke, at the 2021 Ramadan Lecture/Iftah organised by INEC in Ibadan...recently

A cross-section of stakeholders during a briefing by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, INEC in Cross River, Dr Emmanuel Hart, on the Expansion of Voter Access to Polling Units exercise, in Calabar....recently

. President Muhammadu Buhari in a farewell audience with outgoing Ambassador/Head of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, H.E Ketil Karlsen during a farewell audience at the State House Abuja...recently State House

President, Association of Resident Doctors, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Dr. Godwin Udeh (left), Cross River State Governor, Sir Ben Ayade, during the presentation of Champion of Industrialisation Award to te governor at Government House, Calabar...recently

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (left), and Officer in charge of UNESCO, Abuja Regional Office, Mr. Lamine Sow, during a courtesy call on the governor in Asaba...recently

L –R ; Chief of Air staff , Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao; Chief of Defence Staff , General Lucky Irabor ; Chief of Army Staff , Lieutenant General Attahiru Ibrahim and Chief of Naval Staff , Real Admiral Awwal zubairu Gambo arriving for the Security meeting held at the Presicenial Villa , Abuja …recently

T H I S D AY ˾ , MAY 13, 2021

30

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

A Tale of Medical Negligence Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the death of Lagos-based pastry chef, Mrs. Peju Ugboma, has once again brought to the fore the menace of medical negligence in treatment of patients

M

edical negligence, according to the Free Dictonary, is the improper, unskilled, or negligent treatment of a patient by a physician, dentist, nurse, pharmacist or other health care professional.

In Nigeria, the Rules of Professional Conduct for Medical and Dental Practitioners, also known as the Code of Medical Ethics clearly stipulated what amounts to medical negligence and they include: failure to attend promptly to a patient requiring urgent attention when the practitioner was in a position to do so; manifestation of incompetence in the assessment of a patient; making an incorrect diagnosis particularly when the clinical features were so glaring that no reasonable skillful practitioner could have failed to notice them; and failure to advise, or proffering wrong advice to, a patient on the risk involved in a particular operation or course of treatment, especially if such an operation or course of treatment is likely to result-in serious side effects like deformity or loss of organ.

Others include failure to obtain the consent of the patient (informed or otherwise) before proceeding on any surgical procedure or course of treatment, when such a consent was necessary; making a mistake in treatment e.g. amputation of the wrong limb, inadvertent termination of a pregnancy, prescribing the wrong drug in error for a correctly diagnosed ailment, etc; failure to refer or transfer a patient in good time when such a referral or transfer was necessary; failure to do anything that ought reasonably to have been done under any circumstance for the good of the patient; and failure to see a patient as often as his medical condition warrants or to make proper notes of the practitioner’s observations and prescribed treatment during such visits or to communicate with the patient or his relation as may be necessary with regards to any developments, progress or prognosis in the patient’s condition.

Essentially, there are various laws governing medical practice and one of such is the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (CAP M8) which is designed to regulate and govern medical ethics in Nigeria and rules of professional conduct for Medical and Dental Practitioners. Another one is the Rules of Professional Conduct for Medical and Dental Practitioners.

Also, medical practitioners are governed by International Code of Medical Ethics (Declaration of Venice 1983), as well as The Hippocratic Oath, an ethical guideline/pledge taken by physicians to serve humanity to the best of their ability and without discrimination of any sort and without breaching patients confidentiality.

But despite all these ethics and laws, Nigeria has been plagued by malfeasance of medical negligence, often leading to death.

Death of Pastry Chef Recently, the issue of medical negligence came to the fore again following the death of Lagos-based Founder and CEO of I Luv Desserts, a pastry confectionary, Mrs. Peju Ugboma.

After her death, the bereaved family accused Premier Specialist Medical Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, of alleged medical negligence in handling her surgery.

According to the family, the award-winning pastry chef died due to alleged gross negligence on the part of the hospital, which led to her untimely death.

In a statement issued by Mr. Nwabeze Ugboma for the family, he said “an independent autopsy carried out by pathologists at LASUTH with credible observers and Premier Hospital in attendance revealed that Peju suffered internal bleeding. It was discovered that she had about two litres of blood in her abdomen and

Late Mrs. Peju Ugboma

pelvic area.”

Giving a run down of the events that led to her admission in the hospital, the subsequent surgery and death, he said the deceased went for elective surgery for a fibroid issue on Thursday, April 22, 2021.

He said: “She walked into the hospital by herself unaided as it was by no means an emergency surgical procedure. She had concluded all the necessary tests required before the surgery, including ECG, PCV, and COVID -19 tests.

“Her vitals were okay and she had no preexisting conditions prior to surgery. All payments were made for the preliminary tests. The hospital demanded their account be funded to the tune of N1.5 million and the family deposited N1 million immediately.

“The surgery was carried out on the morning of Friday, April 23, 2021, by Drs. Akinsiku, Iwuh, Asemota, Renner, and some other medical personnel in Premier Specialist Hospital, Victoria Island. Peju’s husband saw her after the surgery on Friday, and she complained about severe abdominal pain and discomfort, which he felt was not unusual for someone who had just come out of surgery. However, her blood pressure had dropped to as low as the range of 50/30.

“The doctors then gave her blood transfusion because she had lost a lot of blood during the surgery. Early on Saturday morning, she told her husband that the veins on her hands had collapsed and the hospital wanted to give her fluids on a vein close to her neck and collarbone.

“She also mentioned that the doctors said her kidneys were not functioning optimally, and a Consultant Nephrologist had been called in to come in that Saturday morning. This was a shock to them both as all tests prior to surgery were fine. The consultant eventually came in as scheduled but dismissed both their concerns.

“By Saturday evening, she had been given three pints of blood. It’s worthy to note that none of the gynecologists who performed the surgery attended to her throughout that Saturday despite all her pain and concerns expressed by her husband. That same Saturday evening, her blood pressure dipped further.

Dr. Renner told her husband that they would need to move her to the ICU. He was asked to pay an additional N1.5 million before she could be moved to the ICU and he paid the money without delay. “ Peju was admitted into the ICU immedi-

ately after payment. Dr. Renner then told her husband that he needed an additional three pints of freshly donated B+ blood, as Premier Specialist Hospital did not have any in the hospital’s blood banks. This left him with no choice but to go on a blood donation drive from friends and family. Several donors were screened and they donated a total of nine pints of blood that night. this was going on, Peju kept complaining of severe pains, and her eyes had turned yellowish. At about midnight that Saturday, she was sedated intravenously. By 6.30 am on Sunday, her husband was surprised to find out that his wife had been placed on a respirator. Dr Renner told him that her condition had deteriorated through the night. “ Her husband saw that she looked pale, and her eyes had been taped as if to keep them closed, but she was still breathing and the monitors were still reading. Peju’s husband had been in touch with a family friend who is a UK based consultant gynecologist. The consultant raised alarm and insisted on speaking with the doctors at Premier hospital. He spoke with Drs. Asemota, Iwuh and the medical director Dr Oshinowo. \“He stated expressly that he was of the opinion that she had severe internal bleeding and needed to be moved back to the operating theatre for the bleeding to be arrested immediately. Premier team however ignored his advice. Premier decided to move Peju to a hospital where she could have a CT Scan and possible dialysis. By 10 am on Sunday, her husband was informed that his wife would be moved to Evercare Hospital, Lekki Phase 1. “ However, it took three hours before she was moved to Evercare.

Immediately she arrived there she was met by their medical team and taken to the ICU. Her husband was asked to pay another N1 million at Evercare, and he made the payment immediately. The head of the ICU detected that Peju did not have a pulse and emergency CPR commenced immediately. This failed and she was pronounced dead by 2.20pm on Sunday.”

Autopsy After her death, he said Premier Specialist Hospital offered to do an autopsy, however, the family insisted on an independent autopsy. On this he noted that “the independent pathologist requested Peju’s full medical report prior to the autopsy as is normal practice but Premier Specialist Hospital management were playing games to stall releasing it.

“It took a visit by family to Premier Hospital who engaged the doctors and management in a shouting match and nearly resulted in a physical confrontation before the medical reports were released.”

He further alleged that the medical reports sent to the independent pathologist may have been tampered with or altered, adding that it was “clear that Peju bled internally from Friday after the surgery till Sunday when she died, and it is shocking to note that Premier hospital was negligent enough not to pick this up and save her life. Peju’s tragic and unfortunate death has left behind two heartbroken little girls, a grieving husband and an aged mother and loved ones”.

Speaking to THISDAY afterwards, Mr. Nwabeze Ugboma said the hospital reached out to them last Saturday that they wanted to come pay condolence call at the house but they turned it down. He said: “ We reminded them that they have sent a condolence letter already, so they didn’t need to come to the house again.” Silence from Premier Hospital When contacted for their reaction, the operator at Premier Hospital dispatched the call to the hospital and a staff simply identified as Deborah promised to reach out with answers. After taking down the reporter’s phone number, she said the management will provide answers to the questions, which they did not even five days after.

Also dialling Evercare Hospital, the customer service agent, who answered the call said the management was not available to speak, but said she was instructed to send an email address to communicate the message, which she did not.

Demands for Justice Her demise prompted the #JusticeForPeju Ugboma hashtag on Twitter with many Nigerians demanding justice in the case.

Investigation by Lagos On their part, given the public outcry that greeted the incident, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, directed the state’s Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFMAA) to investigate the allegations of unprofessional conduct leveled against Premier Specialist Medical Centre.

FCCPC Intervention Intervening in the matter, the Federalist Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) issued notices of commencement of investigation. They also summoned two hospitals accused of medical negligence leading to the deaths of the patients in their care- Premier Medical Specialist Centre over Ugboma’s case and Beachland Hospital, Ogun State, over one Omolara Omoyajowo, a staff of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

According to FCCPC Chief Executive Officer, Babatunde Irukera, the initial information the commission gathered was sufficient for them to open an investigation into the cases.

“As such, the Commission has today issued Notices of Commencement of Investigation & Summons to Produce (NCISP) to relevant persons/entities. The Commission is also communicating with the Medical & Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), to expand engagement to the extent that any pertinent conduct may be otherwise unprofessional and, or may be subject of any disciplinary process (if applicable).

Quoting Section 17(a), (e), (s) and (y) of the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), he said it “mandates the commission to enforce any enactment with respect to the protection of consumers, conduct investigations into matters related to consumer protection; ensure consumer interests receive due consideration, and provide redress to obnoxious practices; ensure service providers comply with local and international standards of safe service delivery”.

T H I S D AY ˾ , MAY 13, 2021

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NEWS

Ehanire Lauds Efforts of Indian Group to Improve Health of Nigerians Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË .JOJTUFS PG )FBMUI %S Osagie Ehanire has commended the efforts and contributions of Tulsi Chanrai Foundation in improving the health of Nigerians especially in eye treatment and provision of water supply for rural communities across the country.

5IF NJOJTUFS FYUFOEFE UIF appreciation when he paid a visit to Tulsi Chanrai FounEBUJPO 1BSUOFST JO )FBMUI (Managed by varenda Eye Service) last Friday at the IPTQJUBM T QSFNJTFT JO "CVKB Ehanire said he was JNQSFTTFE CZ UIF QSPKFDUT and services rendered to the public, which was being done at half the cost, (50 per cent free) in different parts of the country. )F VSHFE UIF IPTQJUBM management to ensure adequate arrangement to sustain the hospitals in states and also to maintenan the water bore-hole facilities built for communities.

Ehanire further told the management of Tulsi Chanrai

Foundation that he would appreciate if the presentation made by the group could also be submitted UP UIF NFNCFST PG )PVTF $PNNJUUFF PO )FBMUI JO the National Assembly for their use. &BSMJFS UIF )FBE PG 1SPKects at the foundation, Mr. Sirinivas said the group plans to establish an eye hospital JO "CVKB XIJDI XJMM TFSWF BT DFOUSF PG FYDFMMFODF JO FZF treatment for Nigeria and the rest of West Africa. )F TBJE UIF IPTQJUBM XJMM help to address avoidable blindness in the country and ensure capacity building for ophthalmic personnel in the country.

Sirinivas gave a frightening statistics of the situation of things, saying that about 7,000 persons per a million population in the African region become blind every year, adding that this figure is 26 per cent higher than other regions of the world. *O /JHFSJB IF TBJE UIBU 4 2 per cent of persons of 40 years of age suffer from cataract, adding that cataract is the leading cause

of blindness in the country accounting for 43 per cent of total figure.

Speaking on the health PVUSFBDI QSPHSBN NF VOdertaken by the foundation, Sirivinas said they have so far performed over 130,000 million eye surgeries in Nigeria. )F BMTP TBJE UIF GPVOdation has successfully implemented and handed over eye programmes to *NP "EBNBXB BOE ,BUTJOB State governments )F BEEFE UIBU UIF HSPVQ is currently engaged in the implementation of similar eye treatment programmes JO ,FCCJ BOE $SPTT 3JWFS States where it is targeting to perform 5,500 eye surgeries.

The minister was later taken round to inspect the 54-bed hospital facility locaUJPO BU ,VLXBCB $BEFTUSBM Zone Phase 3 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), "CVKB CVJMU CZ UIF HSPVQ Sirinivas informed the minister that the foundation JT QMBOOJOH UP FYQBOE UIF facility to a 100-bed hospital and to set up a training institute for eye care.

FERTILITY

with DR. KEMI AILOJE Info@lifelinkfertility.com; Website: lifelinkfertility.com 08033083580

Sickle Cell Disease And Infertility (Part 3)

L

ast week we talked about managing fertility challenges in patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and treatment options to achieve pregnancy. This week, our concluding focus will be on sickle cell disease and care during pregnancy and after delivery.

Women with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) should be seen before conception (per conception consultation) by a sickle cell specialist care giver to receive information about how this condition affects pregnancy and effect of pregnancy on the patient with this disease, and also how to improve overall outcome for mother and the baby.

Primary care physicians do play a key role in preconception screening, and also the provision of contraceptive advice. This consultation should include optimization of management and screening for end organ damage.

The assessment for chronic disease complication should include:

the healthy red cells in blood) the increased risk of crises and acute chest syndrome (ACS). r5IF SJTL PG JODSFBTFE JOGFDUJPO FTQFDJBMMZ urinary tract infection) during pregnancy. r5IF JODSFBTFE SJTL PG IBWJOH B HSPXUI SFTUSJDUFE baby, which increases the likelihood of fetal distress, induction of labour and caesarean section. r5IF DIBODF PG UIFJS CBCZ CFJOH BGGFDU CZ 4JDLMF Cell Disease. r"O VQ UP EBUF BTTFTTNFOU GPS DISPOJD EJTFBTF complications that may be related to pregnancy and child birth. r7BDDJOBUJPO TUBUVT TIPVME CF EFUFSNJOFE BOE updated before pregnancy.

r1FOJDJMMJO QSPQIZMBYJT PS UIF FRVJWBMFOU TIPVME CF QSFTDSJCFE 1FOJDJMMJO QSPQIZMBYJT BOE WBDDJOBUJPOT r#MPPE QSFTTVSF BOE VSJOBMZTJT TIPVME CF are usually monitored and administered in primary performed to identify women with hypertension care, but should be reviewed by the physician and/or proteinuria. haematologist/obstetrician during pregnancy. r 3FUJOBM TDSFFOJOH TJODF QSPMJGFSBUJWF SFUJOPQBUIZ is common in patient with sickle cell disease.

Ehanire being recieved by officials of the Tuisi Chanrai Foundation at the premises of the 54-bed Eye Hospital in Abuja, last Friday

JNC International, Others Launch POCUS Training Centre Rebecca Ejifoma +/$ *OUFSOBUJPOBM -UE has set up the West Africa SonoXpert Training Academy as part of commitment to push the boundaries of knowledge in healthcare.

This was done in partnerTIJQ XJUI &NFSHFODZ )FBMUIDBSF $POTVMUBOUT &)$0/

and equipment manufacturer, 'VKJGJMN 4POPTJUF The centre, which will PQFSBUF GSPN &)$0/ PGGJDF in Yaba, aims to promote knowledge in healthcare, especially in ultrasonography, as stated during the physical and virtual launch.

The West Africa SonoXpert Training Academy will be led CZ UIF .% $&0 &)$0/ Dr. Abiola Fasina.

The group noted that its goal is to become a regional training centre in POCUS, pulling together local POCUS FYQFSUT QPXFSFE CZ FYQFSJence of Sonosite ultrasounds.

Speaking at the launch, 'BTJOB FYQSFTTFE UIBU XJUI a passion for capacity development for healthcare professionals, he is compelled to embrace this initiative. i.Z FYQFSUJTF BOE USBJOJOH FYQFSJFODFT IBWF DPNF to bear in developing a comprehensive training curriculum in ultrasonography for sonographers, intensivists, anasthesiologists, sonologists, nurses and other relevant specialties,” he outlined. *O IJT SFNBSL UIF &YFDVUJWF %JSFDUPS +/$ *OUFSOBUJPOBM -UE .S 7PLF Oshevire, hinted that the partnership emphasises +/$* T DPNNJUNFOU UP supporting continuing education of healthcare providers in saving lives. )F IJHIMJHIUFE UIBU +/$* SFNBJOT DPNNJUUFE to strategic partnership XJUI &)$0/ PUIFS DMJOJDBM

training organisations and directly with clinicians on an ongoing basis to ensure equipment optimisation for improved clinical outcomes.

5IF 3FHJPOBM 4BMFT 4QFDJBMJTU BU 'VKJGJMN .JEEMF &BTU FZE, Aran Arellano, who KPJOFE UIF MBVODI WJB ;PPN said “SonoXpert Training Centre is an initiative of the 4POPTJUF "DBEFNZ 'VKJGJMN Sonosite, USA, already being implemented in different countries.”

Some of the countries he MJTUFE BSF ,FOZB 4PVUI Africa, Dubai, and USA. i*U FTTFOUJBMMZ BJNT BU FNpowering stakeholders in the practice of ultrasonography.

8F BSF WFSZ FYDJUFE XJUI UIF scaling up of this initiative to West Africa,” says Arellano.

The academy is now officially open for training to enhance the skill set of advanced care practitioners and physicians across the sub region.

r1BUJFOU XJUI 4JDLMF $FMM %JTFBTF IBWF SFEVDFE spleen function (hyposplenic) which makes them at a high risk of infection, in particular from encapsulated r 4DSFFOJOH GPS JSPO PWFSMPBE JO XPNFO XIP IBWF bacteria such as Neisseria meningitides, Streptococcus had multiple transfusion in the past or who have QOFVNPOJB BOE )BFNPQIJMVT JOáVFO[B 5IPTF a high ferritin level. Cardiac magnetic resonance with this disease should be advised to receive imaging may be helpful to assess body iron.

UIF JOáVFO[B BOE ATXJOF áV WBDDJOF BOOVBMMZ r 4DSFFOJOH GPS QVMNPOBSZ IZQFSUFOTJPO XJUI r)FQBUJUJT # WBDDJOBUJPO JT SFDPNNFOEFE BOE echocardiography UIF XPNBO T JNNVOF TUBUVT TIPVME CF EFUFSNJOFE preconception. r 4DSFFOJOH GPS SFE DFMM BOUJCPEJFT UIFTF NBZ indicate an increased risk of haemolytic (destruction Vitamin supplements recommended for of red blood cell) disease of the new born.

SCD patients.

Folic acid is recommended in all pregnant r4JDLMF $FMM %JTFBTF JT B DISPOJD MJGFMPOH DPOEJUJPO women to prevent neural tube defects. Folic acid and there are recommendations for clinical care at a dosage of at least 1 mg daily is recommended which apply to all patients, including women for women with SCD outside pregnancy in view planning to become or those already pregnant. of their haemolytic anaemia, which puts them at increased risk of folic deficiency. r8PNFO XJUI 4$% TIPVME SFDFJWF OPU POMZ Folic acid 5 mg daily should be prescribed before, the general preconception care which is given during and throughout pregnancy to reduce the to all women but also additional advice about risk of neural tube defect and to compensate for vaccinations, medication and crisis avoidance. the increased demand for folate during pregnancy.

Those with low pain threshold are advised to seek medical help for management of pain crisis.

What medications should be reviewed Medical review at least once yearly by a sickle cell before preconception? physician for the monitoring of chronic disease *U JT JNQPSUBODF UIBU B QBUJFOU XJUI 4$% WJTJUT complications while getting information on the the doctor to identify the medications you are treatment process is recommended. presently using to know if they should be stopped before attempting pregnancy. r*OGPSNBUJPO UIBU JT QBSUJDVMBSMZ SFMFWBOU GPS women planning to conceive includes: Hydroxycarbamide (hydroxyurea): This is the medication used to increase red blood Cells), should r5IF SPMF PG EFIZESBUJPO DPME IZQPYJB BO be stopped at least 3 months before conception.

BCTFODF PG FOPVHI PYZHFO JO UIF UJTTVF UP TVTUBJO )ZESPYZDBSCBNJEF IBT CFFO EFNPOTUSBUFE UP CPEJMZ GVODUJPOT PWFS FYFSUJPO BOE TUSFTT JO UIF decrease the incidence of acute painful crises in frequency of sickle cell crises, and how to avoid individuals with severe clinical manifestations of them.

SCD, however studies have proven that they are not safe for the development of fetus. r)PX OBVTFB BOE WPNJUJOH JO QSFHOBODZ Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors can result in dehydration and the precipitation NFEJDBUJPO XIJDI IFMQ UP SFMBY CMPPE WFTTFM

of crises and pain. and angiotensin receptor blockers (medication r5IF SJTL PG XPSTFOJOH BOBFNJB SFEVDUJPO JO which helps to enlarge blood vessel) should be stopped before conception.

32

T H I S D AY ˾ , MAY 13, 2021

FEATURES

Reducing Malaria Scourge in Nigeria Over 100 million Nigerians are at risk of malaria, while about 300,000 deaths still occur in the country every year due to the disease. As the country recently joined the rest of the globe to mark this year’s World Malaria Day, Martins Ifijeh looks at efforts made by organisations like Reckitt Benckiser to change the narrative

W

hile many countries have been able to reduce the burden of malaria to a significant level in recent times, there still exist about 500 million persons globally who are at risk of the lethal fever. And out of which, almost two million persons, especially children below the ages of five lose their lives yearly to the disease.

Statistics by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), say out of those dying yearly from malaria, children of under five years old constitute over a million. That is one child dying every 30 seconds; amounting to about 3,000 child deaths every day globally.

According to the World Malaria Report 2016, in 2015, there were 212 million new cases of malaria and 429,000 deaths. One child dies from malaria every two minutes.

But what is more worrisome is that a concentrated 90 per cent of those affected live in sub-Sahara Africa, which means about 900 children below five years old die every year from malaria, a health issue the World Health Organisation (WHO) had said was 100 percent preventable.

Unfortunately, Nigeria shares a major chunk of this burden with an estimated 100 million persons said to be at risk of the disease while over 300,000 lives are lost yearly in the country, according to the Marketing Director of Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria, Mr Tanzim Rezwan.

Society for Family Health (SFH) says malaria accounts for about six out of 10 out-patient visits and three of 10 admissions in healthcare facilities in Nigeria, adding that malaria accounts for 11 per cent of maternal mortality and three of 10 deaths in children less than five years in the country. Also, indications show that 60 percent of people who visit the hospital are diagnosed with malaria and four out of five people are at risk of contracting malaria in Nigeria.

This is even as experts have stated that the

L-R: State Project Officer, Non-Communicable Diseases, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Olatunde Yewande; Coordinator, WHO, Ogun State, Dr. Abidoye Dele David; Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Tayo Lawal; Representative of the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adesanya Ayinde; Marketing Director, Reckitt Nigeria, Mr. Tanzim Rezwan and Senior Brand Manager, Hygiene, Reckitt Nigeria, Mrs. Cassandra Uzo-Ogbugh at the 2021 World Malaria Day Press Briefing between Ogun State MOH and Reckitt Nigeria in Abeokuta

disease was a major cause of absenteeism in schools, offices and markets, thereby significantly and negatively affecting the economic growth of the country.

In the same vein, a recent publication in Malaria Journal suggests that it accounts for poor school performance, which on the long run has a toll on the economy despite direct financial loss to treatment, advocacy and prevention of the disease in low and middle income countries like Nigeria.

According to experts, malaria is a mosquitoborne infectious disease, caused by parasitic protozoans (a type of single cell microorganism) of the plasmodium type. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue, vomiting and headaches. In severe cases it can cause yellow skin, seizures, coma or death.

It is in tackling all of these, including the high deaths, high cases, low school and work attendance, and financial burden on the country that Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria, makers of Mortein insecticides, in partnership with Ogun State Ministry of Health commemorated the 2021 World Malaria Day held in Abeokuta.

Speaking at the campaign, Rezwan believed awareness and execution of malaria-targeted

programmes were key to addressing the scourge in the country.

He said: “In continuation of our fight against malaria and as part of activities marking this year’s commemoration, we have Introduced “Mortein Fight to End Malaria” campaign, and joined forces with the Ogun State Government and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) to support in the education and awareness of malaria prevention in Nigeria.

He said malaria remains both a major cause and a consequence of global poverty and inequity, adding that its burden was greatest in the least developed areas and among the poorest members of society, hence the need to push for it’s elimination. “Many of those most vulnerable – especially young children and pregnant women – are still not able to access the life-saving prevention, diagnosis and treatment they so urgently need. World Malaria Day is a chance to shine a spotlight on the global effort to control the scourge.

“As part of the partnership with Ogun State, this year’s drive to eliminate malaria is designed to be achieved through several platforms: On-ground market and community engagement activities, digital education and radio

engagement. Going forward, the partnership also expects to evolve to include various other initiatives including sustained efforts through malaria programmes in schools.

He said that the community engagement and collaborations were part of numerous purpose driven initiatives by Mortein to stem the prevalence of malaria scourge in the country and Africa as a whole.

He continued, “At Reckitt, every day, in everything we do, we’re driven by our purpose; to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. Mortein, as a leading global insecticide brand, works on a mission to enable and empower our consumers with knowledge and expert solutions to rid themselves of vector borne diseases such as malaria. In that spree, we not only try to bring in the world class products to the consumers but also aspire to drive awareness on preventive measures.”

According to him, Mortein also joined NMEP for 2021 World Malaria Day activities in a social media campaign to sensitise the public on malaria prevention and testing. Adding that it was also looking forward to working out a sustainable campaign in future to drive the partnership with more actions towards ‘Fight to end Malaria’ in Nigeria.

He said the results from the campaigns and interventions from the various states and Abuja showed that malaria can be eradicated or reduced to the minimum. He said if Nigeria can adhere strictly to the methods, which include use of long lasting insecticide treated nets, ridding stagnant water off their environments, and the use of insecticides like Mortein, malaria will be a thing of the past in the country.

He said the partnership with the states and federal government, which has been on-going for years, also demonstrates the company’s commitment to the anti-malaria fight in the country towards a clean and healthy Nigeria.

He said, “At RB, our global vision is to have a world where people are healthier and live better. In achieving this, we will continue to make a difference by giving people innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes.

Championing the Fight against Malaria in Nigeria In an effort aimed at eradicating malaria in Nigeria, St. Racheal’s Pharma recently launched the Artemether 80mg + Lumefantrine 480mg 1x6 Tablets anti-malarial drug during its recent third year anniversary celebration, Sunday Ehigiator reports A 2020 report by the United States Embassy in Nigeria described malaria as a major public health problem in Nigeria, where it accounts for more cases and deaths than any other country in the world.

According to the report, malaria is a risk for 97 per cent of Nigeria’s population, “the remaining 3 per cent of the population live in the malaria free highlands”.

It estimated 100 million malaria cases with over 300,000 deaths per year in Nigeria. This compares with 215,000 deaths per year in Nigeria from HIV/AIDS. Malaria contributes to an estimated 11 per cent of maternal mortality.

The report also stated that malaria accounts for 60 per cent of outpatient visits and 30 per cent of hospitalisations among children under five years of age in Nigeria.

“Malaria has the greatest prevalence, close to 50 per cent in children aged six to 59 months in the South-est, North-central, and North-west regions.

Malaria has the least prevalence, 27.6 per cent, in children aged six to 59 months in the South-east region,” it read.

It was against the above statistics, that St. Racheal Pharma, a leading pharmaceutical company in Africa, decide to champion the fight against malaria in the country.

Speaking at the launch, the Chairman and CEO, St. Racheal Pharma, Akinjide Adeosun reaffirmed the possibility of eradicating malaria in Nigeria.

He said: “It’s my considered opinion that

(L-R): Special Assistant on Health to the Lagos-State Governor, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi; Secretary to the OyoState Government, Pharm. (Mrs.) Olubamiwo Adeosun; Chairman/CEO, St. Racheal’s Pharmaceuticals, Pharm. Akinjide Adeosun; and Founder/CEO, Healthplus Pharmacy, Pharm. (Mrs.) Bukky George, at the third anniversary and launch of St. Racheal’s Anti-malaria drug in Lagos

malaria can be eradicated in Nigeria, just like El-Salvador, Paraguay, Argentina, Algeria, Mauritius, Lesotho and Seychelles. But how did El Salvador, a Central America nation of 6,420,746 with a GDP of just $27 billion, eliminate malaria? “ According to health officials, the country achieved the milestone by consistently budgeting huge sums of money for malaria treatment and elimination programs for 50 consecutive years.

“Despite reporting its last malaria-related death in 1984, El Salvador maintained its domestic investments for malaria and continued to put foreign aid to good use. The funding continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic while the small nation mobilised thousands of health workers to battle malaria in strategic areas.

“It ensured the mechanical control of mosquitoes through construction of permanent drains in swamps, followed by indoor spraying with

pesticides.”

On their own contribution to the fight against malaria in Nigeria he said: “The St. Racheal’s Artemether 80mg + Lumefantrine 480mg 1x6 Tablets anti-malarial drug is our contribution to waging war against malaria thereby reducing the menace of high morbidity and mortality of this treatable and neglected disease.

“The drug delivers our promise of a top-quality yet affordable pharmaceutical brand. This is in tandem with our mission of improving life expectancy in Nigeria.

Focus on Malaria was neglected and it is still being neglected. We have taken it upon ourselves to increase the awareness of the dangers of malaria.’

Sequel to the COVID-19 pandemic still ravaging the world, Adeosun also revealed plans by the company to in future, establish vaccine factories across Nigeria.

According to him, “we shall commence the business development process for the establishment of a vaccine manufacturing company. We are currently assessing three potential state governments for a NLNG public – private partnership model vaccine manufacturing factory in Nigeria.

“We are utilising PESTEL tool to prequalify our potential partner. Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal to determine the best fit for our organisation.”

He added that this was a long term project “that will position and deliver lifesaving vaccines for Nigerians in and out of pandemic”.

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T H I S D AY ˾ , MAY 13, 2021

PERSPECTIVE

Nigerian Medics Making Waves in the Diaspora Victoria Harrison Time after time, education has proved to be a gateway to invaluable opportunities, not only for its direct participants and their families, but for the world as a whole. It is said that the value of education cannot be accurately quantified. As such, rewards such as honour, prestige and recognition have been perceived to be adequate measures of the value of education. More often than not, Nigeria has been a recipient of these rewards by virtue of her citizens who, home and abroad, are thriving in their careers. These careers span the fields of Law, Medicine, Engineering, Sports and the Arts.

In recent years, a number of Nigerians have projected the country into the limelight of the medical profession. These outstanding individuals have worked hard to distinguish themselves and have earned the respect of their contemporaries in countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Europe and indeed, all over the world. Here is a brief look at the feats of some of these high-achieving professionals in the diaspora.

1. Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye is a renowned fetal and pediatric Nigeria born surgeon based in Texas. In 2016, he successfully operated on a baby-in-utero. The mother, at the 23rd week of pregnancy had gone for a routine ultra-sound and it was discovered that her baby had a rare birth defect known as sacrococcygeal teratoma, a large tumor located on the fetus’ tailbone. Dr. Olutoye led a team of 21 doctors to remove the tumor. The five-hour surgery involved removing the baby from the uterus for 20 minutes so as to remove the tumor and then placing the baby back into the womb for the remainder of the gestation period, after which she was safely delivered.

For this groundbreaking feat, Dr. Olutoye was appointed Surgeon-in-Chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the U.S. He now leads one of the largest children’s hospital surgery departments in the world.

Dr. Olutoye received his medical degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. In 1996, he went on to earn his PhD in anatomy from Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, Virginia Commonwealth University, and his fellowships in pediatric and fetal surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is certified in Surgery and Pediatric Surgery by the American Board of Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the West African College of Surgeons. Dr. Olutoye is a member of the American Surgical Association, the American Pediatric Surgical Association and past president of the International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society.

In 2019, Dr. Olutoye was appointed professor

countries around the world. She is currently resident in Columbia, Maryland in the United States.

Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye

Professor Iyalla Elvis Peterside

and the E. Thomas Boles chair of the pediatric surgery at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Family Physician of the Year in Maryland, United States. This award was bestowed on her by the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians (MDAFP) in 2021. Becky Wimmer, the Academy’s Executive Director revealed that Dr. Njideka Udochi was selected from six candidates because she “continues to provide her patients and communities with passion and care” and also remarked that “all her contributions made her stand out.” The award is the MDAFP recognition of Dr. Udochi’s exemplary character and her embodiment of the values and traditions of a model family physician. It is a position of great honor and prestige and is no small feat indeed.

For Dr. Njideka Udochi, a graduate of medicine from the University of Nigeria with over 33 years of experience, excellence in her chosen career field and a long-standing character of integrity go hand in hand and this is evidenced by the stellar ratings from her patients who commend her as the best family doctor they have ever had. In her practice, she is known by her patients as a doctor who establishes a connection with each individual and strives to treat all her patients as if they are her family. After earning her Master’s in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School, Dr. Njideka Udochi proceeded to undergo her residency at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 1988. The following year, she completed her fellowship in the same university. She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (Family Medicine). For five years following this, she worked as a medical director for Baltimore’s Healthcare for the Homeless and a former HIV clinic known as the Health Education Resource Organization (HERO). Over the period of seven years, Dr. Udochi has worked with about 152,857 patients from Maryland and Washington, D.C. as well as patients from 114

2. Professor Iyalla Elvis Peterside Dr. Peterside is an attending neonatologist in the Division of Neonatology at Children’s Hospital and director of the intensive care unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

He has worked in four continents including Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

His expertise includes care of the neonatal patient, infection control with emphasis on catheter-related blood stream infections, the use of ECMO to treat critically ill patients in respiratory and cardiac failure.

He received his primary medical education in Nigeria at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 1985. He did his internship at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria and Booth Hall Children’s Hospital, Manchester, England. He did his residency at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, Booth Hall Children Hospital, Manchester, England, the Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York and Cornell Medical Center, New York. In addition to these prestigious qualifications, Professor Peterside is Board Certified by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and London. He is also the president of the Philadelphia Perinatal Society.

In March 2021, the Nigerian-born medical doctor was recognized as one of America’s best physicians of the year 2020 by the U.S. National Consumer Advisory Board.

3. Dr. Njideka Udochi Dr. Njideka Udochi is yet another shining example of the innate spirit of excellence that thrives in Nigerians. Shortly after the appointment of her sister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, the Nigerian-born physician became the very first black female to emerge

4. Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu Another exceptional medical practitioner flying the Nigerian flag high in the USA is Professor Onyema Ogbuagu. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the clinician-educator track and Director of the HIV Clinical Trials Program of the Yale AIDS Program, Section of Infectious Diseases of the Yale School of Medicine. He was recently recognized as one of the researchers instrumental in the creation of the Pfizer vaccine for the infamous Covid-19 virus. As a Yale Infectious Diseases specialist, he ran Pfizer’s vaccine trial at the school, and he subsequently served to reassure black people in America and worldwide that they have nothing to worry about concerning the vaccine.

Between 2003-2010, Dr. Ogbuagu received his education at the University of Calabar College of Medical Sciences and completed his residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

He had his fellowship at the Yale School of Medicine in 2012. In response to the COVID pandemic, he is the Yale principal investigator on multiple investigational therapeutic and preventative clinical trials for COVID-19 including remdesivir (now FDA approved), Pfizer and GSK COVID-19 vaccines. Professor Ogbuagu has over 18 years of experience in the medical field.

Other Nigerian medics who have gained recognition in the diaspora are Dr. Bennet Omalu, Dr. Isioma Okobah among others.

Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian-American physician, was the first to discover and publish findings on the chronic traumatic encephalopathy in American football players while working in Pittsburgh. So profound was his discovery that his article was expanded into a book titled Concussion. It was later adapted into a film of the same name, in which Dr. Omalu was portrayed by famous Hollwood actor, Will Smith.

Dr. Mrs. Isioma Okobah, in 2017, bagged the highest medical award in the US as the 2017 Prestigious Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians Award. The award is for practicing physicians in the US who have distinguished themselves among colleagues and in their community by their contribution towards the development of family medicine.

With the aforementioned, it is clear that there is no shortage of brilliance and capacity for greatness amongst Nigerians. These outstanding individuals and many more Nigerian professionals are but a few among the many professionals who spin a different narrative of Nigeria and Nigerians in diaspora. Their exploits speak louder than any written words. t )BSSJTPO JT B SFTFBSDIFS BOE BO FOUIVTJBTU PG FWFSZUIJOH HPPE BCPVU /JHFSJB 4IF JT DVSSFOUMZ TUVEZJOH MBX BU UIF 6OJWFSTJUZ PG -BHPT

Lagos State Reiterates Commitment towards Eradicating Malaria Chiamaka Ozulumba The Deputy Director of Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Malaria Programme Manager for Lagos State, Dr Abimbola Oshinowo, has reiterated the commitment of the state towards eliminating malaria infection among residents.

She made this comments while speaking with journalists at the World Malaria Day Colloquium organised by the Centre for Malaria Research, Diagnosis, Training, and Policy, tagged ‘Reaching the Zero Malaria Target’, recently held at the University of Lagos.

According to her, the quickest and easiest way to ensure that people do not get malaria is through the use of nets “and there is a universal access.

“The vulnerable groups which are the pregnant women and under five children, we want to ensure they do not get malaria because their immune system is not as high as a normal adult so they need to sleep inside the net.”

Speaking on steps by the states towards eradicating malaria, she said: “We conduct indoor residual spraying and larvae source

The Deputy Director of Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Malaria Programme Manager for Lagos State, Dr Abimbola Oshinowo

management to ensure that areas that do have high mosquitoes and malaria density are more or less reduced through the use of chemical on walls of homes.

“Under diagnosis we want to ensure that

people do get tested before they are treated for malaria using ACTs - recommended drugs at this time. Malaria can be preventable and treated if one is diagnosed appropriately.

“For our facilities, we ensure that we have adequate drugs and consumables, and health personnel are trained appropriately with everyone being carried along in the malaria space.

“Not every disease is malaria, even the new trends in malaria, we are looking at technology now for people to understand and be at alert regarding malaria.”

Similarly, while speaking with THISDAY, the Convener of the event, Prof. Wellington Oyibo, spoke on the advantages of leveraging technology to reaching the zero malaria target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) by 2030.

According to him, “technology is quite wide and further reducing the rate. I look at diagnosis for instance, there are so many ways of diagnosing malaria and you don’t need to come to the health facilities.

“Our community pharmacists diagnose malaria using MRDTs in their facilities. We have the urine malaria test you can actually do at home,

so technology is a way of embracing the efforts ongoing at eliminating malaria.

“In the past it was strictly microscopy, you need to come to the health facilities or go to a laboratory to get tested. But now, the testing is at your fingertips.”

Oyibo said technology and innovation has aided prompt and easy testing for malaria in order to treat the disease on time before it becomes a complicated case, adding that this was one way “we can ensure that people do get appropriate malaria management”.

Also speaking, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FYOODOR Biotechnologies, Dr Eddy Agbo noted that, indigenous African driven technologies should be supported to address needs and make malaria problems to disappear or at least minimise it.

“There is a lot going on in technology. The urine malaria tests allows one to test for malaria at home because malaria comes when least expected and one should be able to self test without disrupting his/her entire day.

“That is the power of technology and it is something that we can all continue to rally around,” he noted.

THURSDAY, ͹ͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

34

NEWS BUHARI, AT SALLAH, SEEKS PRAYERS TO END BANDITRY, KIDNAPPING among all citizens, Muslims and Christians are imperative especially at a time when our country is faced with multiple challenges, which are surmountable only when we come together as one.

“It is important that we remember how we share, through our faiths, common bonds that should serve to unite us and not allow ourselves to succumb to those who seek to divide us, using our two great religions, for their own selfish advantages."

According to him, it is noteworthy and delightful to see Christians breaking fast and in some instances, extending goodwill and gifts to Muslim faithful during Ramadan.

“This model also shone through with Muslim groups joining Christian festivities.

These are practices that promote brotherhood and forgiveness,” he said.

Buhari also urged Nigerians

to continue to observe all COVID-19 prevention measures and celebrate responsibly during the holidays.

Lawan felicitated with the Muslim clerics in Nigeria on the completion of this year's Ramadan fast, saying: "Every true Muslim feels joy at participating in the Ramadan fast, which is a key obligation in Islam. May Almighty Allah, therefore, reward us for the spiritual voyage and grant our earnest wishes for ourselves, families and dear country."

According to him, due to the current security and economic challenges, Nigeria needs the prayers of every patriot now more than ever before to achieve peace, unity, and progress were the dreams of the founding fathers.

He assured the people that the government, including the National Assembly, will not waiver in its determination to provide security for the people

to allow law-abiding citizens the liberty to live in peace and pursue their legitimate businesses anywhere.

He said: "Let us remain strong in our hope that Nigeria will become what we fervently want it to be: a nation that fills its citizens with happiness and pride."

Tinubu also joined Muslims in marking the completion of Ramadan fast.

In a message issued yesterday by his Media Office, the former Lagos State governor stated that as Muslims, they had fasted and prayed in a special way during this holy month.

He said: “Now that the holy month of Ramadan is ending, we must counsel ourselves not to forget its great lessons. We must be better than we were before. We must treat each other with more compassion and understanding.

“We must build a better

society free from want, violence and hatred. We must never condone and tolerate the works and words of those who would do evil or who would pit brother against brother, Nigerian against Nigerian.

“The righteous acts and efforts of Ramadan must guide our actions and conduct going forward. Let us put politics aside and continue to pray to Almighty Allah for our country and its entire people.

“Let us remember President Muhammadu Buhari and his government in our prayers that they may be given the requisite strength and wisdom to protect the nation, defeat the challenges that confront us and help establish Nigeria as a more prosperous and just land.”

Atiku in a statement said this year’s Eid-al-Fitr come at a time when Nigeria was going through challenging

moments concerning the security of lives and property and when a large number of people were hard hit by the ravaging scourge of poverty.

“As Muslims, we need to remind ourselves of our obligation to ensuring peace and unity within our family and in our neighbourhood at all times.

“Today, across Nigeria, there is a scary and growing tendency to mistrust along ethnic and religious lines.

As Muslims, we know from both the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Noble Prophet Muhammed (SAW) that no tribe or race is superior to another, except the one that seeks piety to the Almighty Allah,” Atiku said.

Saraki, in a statement signed by the Head of his media office, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, said: “The current situation in our country requires a sincere change of mindset by

all Nigerians. We should use this post-Ramadan period and the lessons we learnt from the fasting period to steer clear of any action which does not bode well for our country.

This is a period when we all need to pray to Allah to once again pull the country back from the precipice.

“With the level of insecurity and economic crisis which have combined to worsen the rate of poverty in Nigeria, all Nigerians must unite and demonstrate patriotism that will help our country overcome the present challenges.

“Once again, I commend our security agencies at the frontline and pray that Almighty God will protect and give them victory over the insurgents and other nonstate actors inflicting violence on our country. May Allah heal our land of any form of affliction.”

a barrel, earlier in the day, with West Texas Intermediate U.S. crude rising 86 cents, or 1.3 per cent, to $66.14.

As at yesterday evening, prices of Brent had hit $69.86, a few cents shy of the much expected $70 while WTI was at $66.56.

It coincided with a monthly report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which noted that demand for oil will exceed the output of top producers.

"The anticipated supply

growth through the rest of this year comes nowhere close to matching our forecast for significantly stronger demand beyond the second quarter," the IEA said.

Oil prices were also supported by the outlook from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which on Tuesday stuck to a forecast for a strong recovery in world oil demand in 2021, with growth in China and the United States, outweighing

the impact of the coronavirus crisis in India.

Prices were further impacted by data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) industry group showing that U.S. crude oil stocks fell by 2.5 million barrels in the week to May 7.

The fall came before the Colonial Pipeline was hit by a cyberattack last Friday, forcing the shutdown of a pipeline that transports more than 2.5 million barrels of fuel per day.

late than never.

"With the goings-on in the country, we had expected them to meet before now but it is a good thing that they have met. It is a welcomed development. This would not only foster cooperation among the governors and people of the Southern states but also strengthen the nation's democracy," it said.

According to PANDEF, the governors’ resolutions, particularly, on restructuring, ban on open grazing and on insecurity are in tandem with its position.

It added that open grazing is outdated, archaic and should not be allowed to continue in a society like Nigeria.

"It is, therefore, pleasing and reassuring that the governors discussed these issues at their meeting and made those farreaching resolutions,” it said.

It added: "The positions they have taken are in tandem with the thoughts and expectations of the people of Southern Nigeria. So, PANDEF commends them for the elaborate decisions reached.

“Kudos to the Southern governors; we congratulate them. We are pleased with what they have done; our hope and desire are that this meeting would be regular as we see the 19 Northern governors meet, from time to time, and when necessary."

He added that security and not open grazing is the problem of the Nigerian people and urged the federal government to adequately equip the military and other security agencies to fight insecurity across the country.

Ndume, Chairman of Senate Committee on Army, told reporters in Abuja that the blame game by the Southern governors would not solve the security problems facing the country.

He accused the governors of blaming the president and not themselves for the insecurity issues confronting their states.

"As far as I am concerned, this blame game will not solve the problem. Governors are the chief security officers of their states; so, why are they talking about the president without talking about themselves? The governors are deviating from the matter. The problem is not about open grazing," he said.

Ndume identified four security challenges facing the nation.

He said: "The problem is security. Most of the insecurity problems confronting Nigeria are not in the bush. We have four different types of security challenges. We have the insurgency in the Northeast; IPOB through the Eastern Security Network is creating insecurity in the South- east, and there is banditry in the North-west.

“It is only in the Northcentral that we have issues of farmers-herders clashes.

There are fewer problems in the South-west except for the clashes between the herdsmen and the farmers and the agitators for the Yoruba nation.

“Similarly, in the South-south, they are trying to instigate the avengers but so far the area is peaceful. The issue of insecurity is unique to each zone."

NNPC PICKS 16 COMPANIES FOR NEW CRUDE OIL-SWAP DEAL Those involved in the process said the list of winners was unlikely to change substantially, with the new DSDPs expected to replace those from 2019, which were extended until mid-2021.

Traditionally, if a foreign oil company wins, then it is typically paired with at least one local firm.

NNPC uses a DSDP mechanism to secure Nigeria's fuel requirements in exchange for crude, a practice that has

gone on for years as all the country’s refineries have remained comatose.

In an interview last year, NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, said the DSDP had resulted in savings of more than $1 billion a year since its introduction.

Nigeria relies almost entirely on imports to meet oil product demand because of significant and prolonged operational problems at its 445,000 bpd of refining

capacity.

The country consumes over 350,000 bpd of petrol with the majority sourced from Europe.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose yesterday on signs of a speedy economic recovery and upbeat forecasts for energy demand supported by vaccinations against COVID-19 although waves of infections in India and Brazil curbed gains.

Brent crude climbed 83 cents, or 1.2 per cent to $69.38

PRESIDENT WON’T IGNORE 17 SOUTHERN GOVS, SAYS AKEREDOLU “As governors, we are elites of the society and if we can come together, we should be able to stem the tendencies of insecurity that we are facing in the country today. The challenge is clear; it is glaring even to a blind man that we have problems that need urgent solution and that is why we has to take those decisions,” Akeredolu further said.

On whether the planned national dialogue would not go the way of the previous ones, Akeredolu explained that there was nothing that the governors have said about national dialogue that was new.

He said it was agreed that there should be several conferences and discussions on restructuring and constitution review.

According to him, “There are so many papers that exist today on restructuring and we are saying there must be a national dialogue which will not be a jamboree but must involve ethnic nationalities and a number of other persons where we will collectively take a decision from the number of papers that will be presented at such conference.”

“The issue of revenue allocation has been debated over and over again. We need to have that put in proper perspective also, and if all of us agree, I am not sure there is any state in the country today that will say it is comfortable the way the federal government continues to control the resources of the country, while the states continue to suffer,” Akeredolu said, adding that there is too much money and power at the centre, which ordinarily should have gone to states for project execution.

He stressed that the state police, which most of the governors have agreed to, cannot be run on the meager money going to the state.

"We need to have a revenue formula that will help the states to have sufficient financial independence to run their own state police. I am sure that all of us will come together to discuss it. We want to take all the discussions and ratify them before implementation,” Akeredolu said.

Meanwhile, Southern Senators’ Forum, members of the House of Representatives from the 17 southern states of the federation, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, have hailed the governors decisions.

The Southern Senators’ Forum (SSF) praised the governors for banning open grazing of cattle and advocating the immediate restructuring of the Nigerian federation.

The senators said such deft and unanimous policy would help in reining in those hiding under cattle grazing to unleash terror on residents of the region.

A statement jointly signed by the SSF Chairman, SecretaryGeneral and Publicity Secretary, Senators Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti), Mathew Urhoghide (Edo) and Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu), respectively and made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday, said the step taken by the governors would serve as a buffer to wanton destruction of farmlands, kidnappings and carnages.

The senators lamented how southern farmers were losing hundreds of millions of naira to the plundering of food crops through encroachments on farmlands and exposing the region to famine and acute food scarcity.

They said: "At this critical point of our national life when the economy is being bedevilled by galloping inflation, youth unemployment and insecurity, food security is very crucial to mitigate the effects of these

diverse evils on the citizens.

"Available records have shown that attaining food security status would remain a mirage in the South owing to the ravaging effect of outdated livestock grazing policy being unleashed on farmlands by some unscrupulous herders.

"Most appalling were the seemingly unabated kidnapping, raping and killing of our people by suspected herdsmen, who have become bandits heating up the system.

"With this uniform resolve by our governors to initiate no-open grazing policy, the region will return to its peaceful and agriculturally self-sufficient status it had assumed even long before Nigeria's amalgamation in 1914."

Members of the House of Representatives from the 17 southern states of the federation too applauded the resolutions of the Southern governors.

The lawmakers, in a joint statement, signed by the Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu; Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu; and 20 others said the position was a firm restatement of their insistence that the nation must exist and be governed on the platform of democratic tenets of social justice, equity, fairness, mutual respect, true federalism, rule of law and constitutional order.

The lawmakers said such an action was a sure step towards checking the infiltration of bandits, armed herders and terrorist elements that are heightening security challenges in the region.

They cautioned individuals kicking against the clamour for the devolution of power and review of revenue control and allocation formula, to desist from their vested parochial interest, noting that such reviews are the only way to stabilise the nation.

While commending the Southern governors for their patriotism and courage, the lawmakers called on the federal government to provide alternative and modern livestock management that does not constitute a security and economic challenge to the nation. ''The platform of Southern members in the House of Representatives also support our governor’s restatement of the demand for true federalism through restructuring that will lead to the devolution of power, creation of state police, review of resource control and revenue allocation formula as well as strict adherence to federal character principle in federal appointments in the shared interests of the federating states,” they said.

Ortom commended the 17 governors for their decision to ban open grazing, describing it as a decision long overdue.

Ortom who spoke through his Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase, said the decision was in the best interest of Nigerians.

He said there is nowhere in the world where open grazing is still being practised.

"Open grazing is archaic and should be rejected everywhere. Our focus should be on ranching, which is far better for even the animals, which is what we stand for in Benue State for long," he said.

According to him, countries such as Senegal and Mali have since abandoned open grazing and wondered why it is still being practised in Nigeria.

PANDEF, in a reaction by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ken Robinson, while welcoming the decisions taken by the governors, however, stated that their resolutions, though belated, were better

Ndume Accuses Southern Govs of Playing Blame Game Meanwhile, a former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, yesterday took on the Southern governors for banning open grazing, saying they should stop the blame game and tackle insecurity in their respective states.

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NEWS

Security Forces Arrest Suspected IPOB Financier Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Security forces yesterday said they had arrested Mr. Awurum Eze, an alleged second-in- command to late Ikonso, the executed leader of the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

He was arrested in Aba, Abia State.

A statement signed by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Mohammed Yerima, said the 48-year-old Awurum Eze, a native of

Umoneke Nta, Isiala-Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, had, on May 4, 2021, escaped when operatives of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) stormed his village house in Isiala Mbano where he was hiding.

It said intensive manhunt was thereafter launched towards tracing and arresting him.

“He was eventually apprehended on Wednesday, May 12, 2022, in Aba after weeks of unrelenting follow-

ups by operatives.

“Awurum Eze is one of the main sponsors of the numerous killings in Imo State and has been on the wanted list of security agents for more than

three months,” it said.

The statement said many of the arrested IPOB /ESN terrorists had earlier mentioned him as their key sponsor, mastermind and second-in-

command to the late Ikonso.

According to them, among “all their leaders in Imo State, only Ikonso and Awurum have direct communication link with the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi

Kanu. He can be seen in several photographs posing with the fugitive terrorist leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Investigation by the combined team of security operatives continues”

Three Persons Feared Killed in Abeokuta Gas Cylinder Explosion Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta No fewer than three persons, including an infant, were yesterday feared killed when a refrigerator gas cylinder exploded in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The explosion, which occurred in the evening, at Oke-Egunya area of the metropolis, was allegedly caused by a technical error on the part of a technician working to repair a faulty refrigerator in the area.

Sources at the scene of the incident told THISDAY that three people died on the spot, while three others, who initially sustained injuries from the explosion, died before a rescue team took them to the hospital for medical attention.

It was gathered that the explosion occurred, when one of the gas cylinders caught fire from a nearby shop where a woman was frying fish.

When contacted, the Director of Fire Services in Ogun

State, Mr. Fatai Adefala, who confirmed the incident, however said only three persons died from the explosion.

Adefala said his men, after receiving the distress call, raced to the scene to put out the fire.

“However, three were burnt to death as they could not escape from the explosion.

“We received a distress call at 3:15pm at Oke-Igbore. We learnt it was a spark of fire. On getting there, we discovered it was a gas explosion”.

“What really happened was that they were cooking outside with fire and unfortunately the gas exploded. They were trying to top the gas in the fridge, in the process, it exploded”.

“Three lives were lost, one infant was among them. You know it was those who are living in that house that were affected. It was an ancient building”.

“Our men are still at the incident including other agencies, the Police, DSS and others,” Adefala disclosed.

CAN Declares Three-day Prayers, Mourning over Insecurity Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has asked Christians to observe three-day prayers for God’s intervention and mercy regarding the growing insecurity in the country.

An internal memo sent by the General Secretary, Daramola Bade Joseph to the leadership of CAN, said the prayers would take place by from Friday, May 28 to Sunday, May, 30.

The me memo reads: “This is to inform you that the CAN President, in view of the continuous killings, banditry and host of other problems in Nigeria has considered it imperative and absolutely necessary that our

country needed prayers for God’s mercy and intervention in our land.

“Consequently, all local churches are expected to gather in the evening of each day set aside for the prayers to pray to God in the attitude of mourning or soberness for the bloodshed of many innocent Nigerians most especially Christians”.

It urged Christians to pray for atonement of the blood of many innocent Nigerians that evil people had shed or for those kidnapped and abused in various ways.

“We should pray that God should forgive our sins wherever we as a church or Nigerians, especially our leaders had sinned against God,” CAN said.

FACILITY TOUR…

L-R: Member, Board of Director, SecureID Limited, Mr. Adeyinka Adeyemi; Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zubairu Dada; Founder/MD, SecureID, Mrs. Kofo Akinkugbe; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Chairman, SecureID Board, Mr. Adedotun Sulaimon, during a facility tour of SecureID Limited in Lagos…recently ABIODUN AJALA

Panic as Gunmen Kidnap Two Persons, Shoot Another in Ondo James Sowole in Akure Palpable fears have gripped the people of Ikaram in Akoko North-west Local Government Area of Ondo State following the kidnap of two residents of the community in separate incidents by gunmen in the last 24 hours.

The abduction of the men, was disclosed by the Akala of Ikaram and the Chairman of Akoko North-west Traditional Council, Oba Andrew Momodu.

The monarch lamented that

the town and its environs were gripped by panic over fears of being abducted or killed by the hoodlums.

According to the monarch, the first kidnapping occurred along Okeagbe Ikaram road invoving Ade Gbodi, an HND graduate, who was coming from his farm in Eda Ekiti.

He said Gbodi was ambushed by gunmen few kilometres to his Iyoke Ikaram home .

He said: “It was those coming behind that saw his motorbike

not well packed on the road that came to report his abduction.

“The abductors have demanded for a ransom of N10 million.”

The second incident, according to a source, occurred about one kilometre to where construction workers were kidnapped recently along Ikaram Akunu road.

He said the two victims were on motorcycle when the unknown gunmen shot one and abducted the other to an unknown place.

As at the press time the abductors have not contacted

the victim’s family while the wounded person was receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

Speaking on the state of insecurity in Ikaram Akunu axis, Oba Momodu disclosed that the case had been reported at Okeagbe Divisional Police headquarters while the DPO, Mr. Ade Akinwande had swung into action in conjunction with local hunters and the vigilante in combing the forest to rescue the victims.

NMA Expresses Sadness over Worsening insecurity Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed worry over what it described as the worsening spate of killings, maiming, kidnapping, banditry, arson, insurgency and other forms of violence in the country.

In a communique issued at end of the 61st annual general conference/delegates meeting, the association said it was deeply concerned that healthcare delivery had been

severely affected by the security situation.

“The conference is saddened by the worsening spate of killings, maiming, kidnapping, banditry, arson, insurgency and other forms of violence with attendant socio-economic consequences in almost every part of Nigeria,” it said.

NMA said it was deeply concerned that healthcare delivery had been severely affected and therefore called on all citizens to jettison dangerous unpatriotic and

tendencies while urging the federal government to renew its efforts to quickly bring this humanitarian disaster under control The association also kicked against what it described as obnoxious Establishment Circulars issued by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) It said that it reviewed the report of the recent engagement between the OHCSF and the NMA. NMA therefore requested the

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation “to withdraw the said circulars, modify and insert exemption clauses that protect medical qualifications and Scheme of Service and salary status of House officers”.

NMA further resolved to continue the engagement using with the office of the Head of Services of Federation using every lawful means to ensure that the profession is not short-changed on the basis of implementing any reforms in the wider public service.

Osinbajo Optimistic About Nigeria’s Economic Future

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed optimism about Nigeria’s extremely bright economic future, which he said cannot be aborted despite current challenges.

The vice president in a statement issued yesterday by his spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, who spoke while inspecting SecureID facility in Lagos, said

despite challenges the country’s economic future was bright and issues would be resolved.

He said the Buhari’s administration in following the recommendation of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, was determined that manufacturing would be the main focus in bringing about dynamic growth, jobs and exports.

According to him, ‘’This will mean retooling our business

environment for greater competitiveness, especially with the take-off of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement. We are rethinking our tax regimes, sorting out external and internal trade issues, getting our regulatory authorities; SON, NAFDAC, and even Customs, to see their roles more as business facilitators rather than policemen or revenue generators. Our environment must

be friendly for local businesses first, foreign investments will follow enthusiastically. ‘’Aside from the work we are doing with other infrastructure such as rail, roads and power we are committed to a plan of democratising broad-band connectivity. Our programme, which we have reiterated in our Economic Sustainability Plan, is broadband connectivity for all by 2023.

Committee of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, stated this in statement issued yesterday in Abuja.

The ruling party said it celebrateed with Muslim faithful and entire Nigerians on the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr, after the 30 days of abstinence from worldly pleasures and utmost devotion to the Almighty Allah.

The party enjoined

Nigerians to use this period to demonstrate the essence of Ramadan, which is about personal sacrifice and sharing with the less-privileged.

Akpanudoedehe said, “On this day, we assure Nigerians of our commitment to securing the nation from all fifth columnists and secessionist elements who have continued to seek ways of dragging the nation backward.”

The party also urged Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for the leaders and the country’s peace and development.

The secretary noted that the collective efforts of all were required to ensure that citizens enjoyed the many pro-people developmental strides of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in an atmosphere of peace.

COVID-19 New Variants: Lagos Places 14 Countries on Watch List APC: Nigeria will be Secured from Fifth Columnists, Secessionist Agitators As part of measures to prevent infection and possible spread of the new variants of COVID-19, pandemic, Lagos State Government has placed 14 countries on close monitoring.

The state Commissioner of Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi who announced this yesterday, at a media briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, said the measure had become necessary following discovery of

variants from banned countries within another country.

He said the state government would begin to monitor movement of people from 14 countries into the state.

The affected countries are: Canada, USA, France, Germany, Netherlands, Togo, Ghana, Cameroun, Angola, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has restated the commitment of the federal government to secure the nation from all fifth columnists and secessionist elements who have continued to seek ways of dragging the nation backward.

The National Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning

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Villagers Sign Peace Deals with Bandits in Niger Laleye Dipo in Minna It was a case of the last resort, as several villagers yesterday reportedly signed peace deals with bandits in three wards of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

In Manta ward, villagers in 22 villages were said to have signed the ‘Peace Accord’, while people in 29 villages in Gurmana ward initialed the agreement just as villagers in 15 villages

in Bassa/kukoki ward entered into agreement with the bandits.

THISDAY learnt that the peace deal entailed the release of huge sums of money and Honda motorcycles to the bandits while the insurgents in turn promised not to attack the villagers.

It was gathered that since the agreements between the villagers and the bandits were signed, as the raids on the villages have stopped, thereby creating an atmosphere of peace for the

people to carry on with their normal lives.

“In fact for more than two weeks now, there has been no attack on any of the communities that signed the peace deal with the bandits,” the Co-convener of the Concerned Shiroro Youths, Sani Abubakar Yussuf Kokki, told THISDAY on the telephone.

Kokki said following the agreement, many villagers who deserted the affected areas, have started returning and have

begun their farming and other activities.

He said: “The government is not involved in the whole matter, but I know that they (government) are aware of it.

“Virtually, all communities and villages in Gurmana and Manta districts of Shiroro LGA have negotiated with the terrorists for a ceasefire after reaching agreement to pay certain amount of money among other conditions, including

purchasing Honda motorcycles for them.”

He said some communities and villages in Bassa/Kukoki ward have followed suit by agreeing to pay certain amount of money among other things to the terrorists to make them (the terrorists) suspend their nefarious activities in the area.

Kokki claimed that the villages/villagers, who have already sealed the deal for ceasefire with the terrorists are

currently reaping its benefits, others are on the verge of finalising theirs too.”

Defending their action, the youth leader said: “The affected victims have been forced to find solutions for themselves within since the much anticipated intervention from government was not forthcoming.”

He also stated that contrary to claims by the military “we don’t have any security presence in this area.”

NDLEA Nabs Former Lagos Council Vice Chairman on Wanted List Michael Olugbode in Abuja A former Vice Chairman of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Asekun Kehinde Sakiru, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Asekun, according to a statement issued yesterday by the NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, is a notorious drug baron, and has been on the wanted list of the agency.

The former council vice chairman was on the agency’s blacklist following the recent arrest of some traffickers and

drug seizures linked to him.

According to Babafemi, the long arm of the law caught up with the wanted baron at about 9.40p.m. on May 7, 2021, while trying to board a Virgin Atlantic airline flight to London, United Kingdom, at the Lagos airport.

He said at the point of Asekun’s arrest, he was caught with a kilogramme of cocaine concealed in five pairs of palm slippers packed inside his suitcase.

The spokesman further revealed that Asekun has been on the wanted list of the MMIA Command of the agency in connection to a case involving one Azeez Adeniyi Ibrahim, who was arrested with 6.45 kilogrammes of cocaine in December 2020.

Insecurity: IG Halts VIP Escorts in South-east, Rivers The Inspector General of Police (IG), Usman Baba Alkali has directed police officers and personnel not to accompany their principals to Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers states until the security situation in the region improves.

The directive, it was learnt, followed the unceasing attacks on security operatives and formations in the South-east and part of South-south zones by suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The directive was contained in a wireless message with reference CB: 0900/DTS/ DOPS/VOL.47/812X, titled “Attack on policemen, snatching of rifles by IPOB. The police copied the Chief Security Officer, Government

House, Chief Superintendent of Police, Department of Operations, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Delta State House of Assembly, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), annex, among others.

The wireless message reads: “Sequel to the incessant attacks on policemen and snatching of arms and ammunition by the proscribed IPOB/ESN (Eastern Security Network) elements in the Eastern states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo States and Rivers State, COMPOL DOPS directs you warn personnel that escort of their principals to the six eastern states is suspended forthwith until security situation improves. Ensure strict compliance, please.”

PDP Sets up Gubernatorial Screening Appeal Committee Chuks Okocha in Abuja Despite the report of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Screening Committee of the Anambra State governorship that none of the 16 aspirants were disqualified, the party yesterday set up an appeal committee for those disqualified.

In a statement issued by the party National Working Committee (NWC) signed by the National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu, the party said it has approved the nomination of the following party members to serve on the screening appeal committee.

According to the statement, the panel will consider appeals arising from the screening exercise of the Anambra State gubernatorial primary election.

The appeal screening committee is headed by Chief Achike Udenwa as chairman.

The members are Taofik Arapaja, Theophilus Dakas Shan, Chief Dan Orbih, Dr. Emmanuel Bovoa , Chief Ali Odefa, Dr. Aminu Abdullahi and Mrs. Owoidighe Ime Ekpoatai as members.

Other members are Hon. Zakari Salisu Ningi, Senator Danjuma Laah, Mrs. Omolola Ajueyisi, Hon. Johnbull Shekau, and Uzo Azubuike also as members/secretary respectively.

The Appeal Panel seating is scheduled for May 19, 2021, at the NWC Hall, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, by 9 a.m.

However, it was gathered that the setting up of the committee was to fulfill part of the guidelines of the party.

YOUNG SHALL GROW…

L-R: Vice Chairman, Young Lawyers’ Forum; Mrs Ebele Esther Jegede; legal practitioner, Mr. Nosa Edo-Osagie; and Chairman, Young Lawyers’ Forum, Mr. Osayuki Kings Agbonghae, during the NBA Benin branch’s Law Week ceremony in Benin…recently

Nigeria Records 27% Drop in Diaspora Remittances Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Diaspora remittances to SubSaharan Africa declined by an estimated 12.5 per cent in 2020 to $42 billion, almost entirely due to a 27.7 per cent decline to Nigeria, which accounts for over 40 per cent of such flows to the region, the World Bank has disclosed.

The bank in the latest Migration and Development Brief, revealed that excluding Nigeria, remittance flows to Sub-Saharan African increased

by 2.3 per cent with a 37 per cent growth reported in Zambia, Mozambique (16 per cent), Kenya (nine per cent) and Ghana (five per cent).

It stated: “Remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa declined by an estimated 12.5 per cent in 2020 to $42 billion. The decline was almost entirely due to a 27.7 percent decline in remittance flows to Nigeria, which alone accounted for over 40 per cent of remittance flows to the region.

“Excluding Nigeria,

remittance flows to SubSaharan African increased by 2.3 per cent. Remittance growth was reported in Zambia (37 per cent), Mozambique (16 per cent), Kenya (9 per cent) and Ghana (5 per cent).”

In 2021, remittance flows to the region are projected to rise by 2.6 per cent, supported by improving prospects for growth in high-income countries.

The report noted that data on remittance flows to Sub-Saharan Africa are sparse

and of uneven quality, with some countries still using the outdated Fourth IMF Balance of Payments Manual rather than the Sixth, while several other countries do not report data at all.

Giving further insight, the report said: “High-frequency phone surveys in some countries reported decreases in remittances for a large percentage of households even while recorded remittances reported by official sources report increases in flows.

TCN Investigates as Nation’s Power Grid Collapses Again Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The nation’s electricity grid yesterday suffered another system collapse, throwing Nigerians into darkness and leaving businesses to hook on to alternative electricity sources.

Nigeria’s erratic power grid, along with the resulting precarious energy supply is a key issue hindering growth in the continent’s largest economy.

However, the country has continued to implement tariff increases in state-controlled prices since 2015, which the

government insists is needed to allow distribution companies to recoup costs and pay to generate companies.

Operators have said that a “spinning reserve,” the amount of unused capacity in online energy assets which can compensate for power shortages or frequency drops within a given period of time holds the solution to the occasional collapses.

In a statement confirming the incident, the government-run Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), said it was investigating the latest disruption, noting that

it was working to resolve the problem.

The General Manager, Public Affairs of the company, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, blamed what she described as voltage issues for the collapse, adding that the TCN was probing the cause of the incident.

She said: “The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that at about 11.01 am today, 12th of May, 2021, there was a total system collapse of the grid, as a result of voltage collapse at some parts of the grid.

“TCN commenced grid

recovery immediately after the collapse, from Shiroro Generating Station to Katampe transmission substation, Abuja through the Shiroro - Katampe line at 11:29 am, and also through Delta Generating Station to Benin Transmission Substation and has reached Osogbo and parts of Lagos.

“While the grid restoration and power restoration gradually progress to other parts of the country, the cause of voltage collapse that precipitated this failure is equally being investigated.”

Delta, UNESCO Plan Women, Girl-child Empowerment in Communities Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has reiterated his administration commitment to giving priority attention to programmes and projects that would empower the girl-child and women, especially those in vulnerable and disadvantaged situations.

Okowa gave the assurance when he received the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Multi-sectoral

Regional Officer, Mr. Lamine Sow, and his team at the Government House, Asaba, last Tuesday.

The girl-child and women are relevant in every society, the governor said, thanking UNESCO for considering Delta as one of the states to benefit from its women and girls development programmes, as he stated that the government would work for its success in Delta State.

The challenge of relegating women to the background

has often confronted the third-world, he noted, and expressed the hope that the UNESCO initiative would go a long way in reversing the undesirable trend.

However, Okowa said numerous schemes have been initiated by his administration towards the empowerment and economic emancipation of women and the girl-child, noting that the creation of the Girl Child Development Office in the state was meant to supplement the schemes.

The governor solicited for concerted efforts aimed at giving women and the girlchild opportunity to realise their potential in the society, saying any investment in the lives of women had the tendency to affect the society positively.

Okowa said: “Let me thank you for considering Delta as one of the three states currently involved in the project implementation; it is important to us because of the huge role women and the girl-child usually play in the family.

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Malami Wants Ibori to Withdraw Suit against Repatriation of £4.2m Looted Assets The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) has written to Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), to prevail on the former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori to withdraw the suit he instituted against the United Kingdom on the confiscation and planned repatriation of about £4.2 million linked to his associates.

Malami also said that the intervention of the UPU would create an enabling environment for the consideration of the appeal by the union that the alleged looted asset should be used to implement projects in the state.

UPU’s President General, Mr. Joseph Omene had written the federal government requesting that the confiscated assets should be used for projects in Delta State.

But in a letter addressed to Omene, the minister noted that the suit filed by Ibori against the United Kingdom on the confiscated assets has become a stumbling block for repatriation.

The AGF letter with the title, “Re-Commendation for Retrieval of Delta’s Stolen Funds and request for Review of Projects

to be Executed with the Retrieved Funds”, was signed by Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, the Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform and International Relations.

The letter read, “I am directed to inform (you) that the HAGF is in receipt of your letter dated 23rd March 2021 with regard to the above subject matter.

The HAGF appreciates your concerns and welcomes the interest of UPU in the returned assets. “The HAGF wishes to inform that he does not have the authority to approve projects for the application of returned assets. These decisions are taken at the Federal Executive Council after in-depth deliberations.

The HAGF’s mandate is to implement the decisions of the council. “I am also directed to inform further that the decision of the council is also guided by bilateral negotiations between Nigeria and the country from which the asset will be returned.

“Accordingly, Nigeria and the government of the United Kingdom or any other country for that matter must agree on a specific project in a transparent and accountable manner before

Uzodimma Dissolves Cabinet, Retains Eight Commissioners Amby Uneze in Owerri Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State yesterday dissolved his 28- member cabinet, retaining eight commissioners in the first major cabinet reshuffle since assuming office on January 15, 2020.

At the end of the usual weekly Executive Council meeting, yesterday, the governor said the dissolution became necessary to rejig and re-energise the system for maximum productivity.

The ministries whose Commissioners were retained in the dissolution include Finance, Science and Technology, Health, Works, Information, Youths and Sports, Women Affairs and Tourism.

The governor thanked the affected former Commissioners

and assured them that they would still be found relevant in other areas if eventually they did not make the new cabinet that would soon be reconstituted.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Mbadiwe Emelumba, who briefed journalists with the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Nnamdi Anyaehie and the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Governor, Mr. Oguwike Nwachuku added that the governor took the decision to fast track governance in line with the mission of the government to serve the people well.

He ordered the former commissioners to hand over all government property, including their official vehicles to the permanent secretaries of those ministries.

a project is approved. “However, the HAGF has directed that I inform you that the stumbling block in negotiating the return of assets linked to Ibori to Nigeria

is the ongoing litigation by Mr James Ibori against the government of United Kingdom in the confiscation hearing in London. “It is advisable that

you approach Mr James Ibori to advise him to withdraw his appeals against the confiscation and repatriation of the assets linked to him, his family, and

associates back to Nigeria. “This is the only way to provide an enabling environment for negotiation of the use of the identified assets for Delta State.”

ALUTA CONTINUA...

L-R: An activist, Comrade Aghedo Kehinde; Nollywood actor, Mr. Yomi Fabiyi; and activist, Alhaja Sikirat Tiwo, during a protest by a coalition of civil society organisations over continued detention of Nollywood actor, Baba Ijesa, for alleged sexual assault and molestation of a minor, in Lagos …yesterday

Soldiers Petition Buhari over Proposed Army Housing Scheme Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) and Senior Non Commissioned Officers (SNCO) have written President Muhammadu Buhari to reject the proposed Nigerian Army Welfare Housing Scheme (NAWHS), describing it as mere fraud.

The open letter co-signed by 05NA/57/2084 SGT Yusuf Shetima, 04NA/55/0925 CPL James Ibok, 09NA/62/5578 LCPL Danladi Ibrahim,11NA/66/10622 LCPL Afolabi Showumi and 13NA/70/11034 PTE Lucky Dolph, accused the Commissioned

Officers of “eating fat” while they starved.

The letter reads in part: “On behalf of the entire Non Commissioned Officers (NCO), and the Senior Non-commissioned Officers (SNCO), we write to reject the proposed plan of the Nigerian Army to further increase their tempo in a way of continuous swindling and to put us and our family into persistent suffering of hunger and starvation.”

They said following the high rate of inflation, it has become difficult for the NCO and the

SNCO to feed their families or pay school fees from their meager salary.

“Yet, the Nigerian Army have devised a means of taking or collecting it back from us the Scarce Skill Allowance (SSA) under the guise of a useless, fraudulent and so called Nigerian Army Welfare Housing Scheme (NAWHS).

“It is pertinent to note that the Army cannot exist or stand in the absence of the NCO and the SNCO, but the Army can stand or exist and function effectively

without the commissioned Officers.

“This is to say that, the SNCO and the NCO are the pillars or the Nigerian Army and without them the NA cannot exist and yet, there suffer the most.”

It added: “The NCO and the SNCO are not well paid and yet the Army wants to deduct a whopping sum of N15,410.30k, N16,703.92k, N17,103.92k, N18,868.97k, N21,516.27k, N26,732.74k, N30,000.00k and 49,086.49k on monthly basis and according to the rank respectively.

SAN Blames Lack of Political Will for Increasing Insecurity

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A Professor of Law, Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN), has identified the lack of political will on the part of elected government officials as the reason for the upsurge in insecurity currently plaguing all parts of Nigeria.

Akinseye-George, who is the president of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), lamented that daily media

report is replete with killings, kidnappings, jail breaking, attacks on law enforcement personnel, destruction of courts, and threats of invasion of different parts of the country by bandits, terrorists, cultists, cattle rustlers, and other outlaws.

He stated this last Tuesday in Abuja during a workshop to ‘Review and Validate the Explanatory Notes on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015’.

According to him, “Before proceeding further in this welcome address, it is necessary to say a few words on the dire security situation of our country, which threatens not only the justice sector but also the very existence of our country. We share the concern of wellmeaning Nigerians who have cried out about the worsening situation of security of lives and property in our country.”

While expressing worry that

criminals have appeared to be waxing stronger by the day, as they are often paid huge sums of cash in exchange for the release of their victims, he observed that security operatives as well as apparatus appear to be poorly resourced and ill-equipped.

Akinseye-George also expressed fear that the security operatives may have begun to succumb to the superior determination and fire power of the outlaws.

(APC) in Gboko West state constituency of Benue State has passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, as the leader of the party, not only in Gboko, but the entire Benue State and North Central region

This was contained in the resolutions made available to journalists at the end of a meeting to reposition the party held in Ikpa, Gboko Local Government Area.

The resolution, jointly signed by former member of the state House of Assembly, Terhemba Chabo and nine others, commended the

his wisdom and fatherly role in keeping the party together despite provocations from ungrateful elements who have recently engaged in anti-party activities.”

They also appreciated the minister for the peaceful cooperation he enjoys with President Muhammadu Buhari and other members of the

(FEC), which has led to a harvest of appointments for Benue indigenes especially of the APC family.

They assured Akume of the unalloyed support of the Gbemacha people, who have not only passed a vote of confidence on him but have also resolved to support him in all his activities.

Former NNPC Boss Joins Gets Vote of Confidence from Benue Constituency Anambra Governorship Race Akume The All Progressives Congress of Nigeria. former state governor “for Federal Executive Council David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Capital (NNPC Capital), Rev Godwin Okonkwo, has joined the Anambra State governorship race.

Okonkwo revealed his intention to run for the governorship seat of the state yesterday during a meeting he had with the elders’ forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

While speaking with journalists, the aspirant said: “I am in the race just to offer governance. A lot of things are not going on well in the state, and I feel I have the ability to coordinate the God-given resources of the Anambra people for the benefit of the poor masses.”

The aspirant, who is also

a cleric, and a former group general manager of Debt Management Office (DMO), said there was no truth that other aspirants are more rooted in the party than him, despite being new in the party and in politics.

“They have been here (APC) since the party started, but what have they achieved? In Anambra State, we have not been able to install even one person in any elective seat, yet they have been here. Now that I am in the party, you are going to see something new.

“We are very prepared for the election in every way. You may have seen that I’m a religious leader, but that is not to say that I’m exactly a church rat. We have what it takes to win the election, and we have people who are also willing to give support,” Okonkwo said.

USAID-funded Project Engages Military, Others to Safeguard Nigeria A USAID funded project, Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project, has held a dialogue session with the military, police, civil society organizations (CSOs), government, media, and other stakeholders as part of its dialogue series aimed at strengthening collaboration

for safeguarding civic space in Nigeria.

The dialogue with the theme, “Safeguarding Civic Space”, which held on Wednesday in Lagos, stressed the need for key stakeholders to identify and develop action plans to address the nation’s shrinking civic space.

According to Lydia Odeh, the USAID-SCALE project Chief of Party, the dialogue will help participants to develop capacity for implementing efficient and effective policies that support transformational change and contribute to improving quality of life for Nigerians, and an open civic space enables them

to pursue many roles.

“The main objective of this activity was to bring together stakeholders from civil society, government – including the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Army to identify and develop action plans to address shrinking civic space issues,” Odeh said.

38

THURSDAY MAY 13 , 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

SALLAH MESSAGES…

SALLAH MESSAGES…

Ekweremadu, Wase, Obi, Others Canvass Unity, Peaceful Co-existence among Nigerians Our Correspondents As Muslims celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Fitr, to mark the end of Ramadan, Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Ahmed Idris Wase, a former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and a former presidential candidate in the 2019 general election, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, have called for unity among Nigerians and the need for continuous prayer for Nigeria in light of the security crisis and economic hardships.

Similarly, they called for peace and for all stakeholders in the Nigerian project to unite in the interest of the country.

Ekweremadu has urged Muslim faithful to in the spirit of the end of Ramadan Fast, Eid el Fitri, pray for a nation in distress.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment made the call Wednesday in his goodwill message to the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of Eid-el-Fitr, noting that Nigeria needed divine healing at this point of her history.

Wase urged Muslims in the country to use the period of the Eid-el-Fitr to reflect on their spiritual lives as individuals and how they can contribute more meaningfully towards the unity, stability and progress of Nigeria.

In a Sallah message issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Puma, Wase called on all Nigerians to be more dedicated to the Nigerian project, saying that with unity of purpose, building a virile and Obi charged Nigerians not to allow the prevailing hardship and mounting insecurity in the country to adversely affect their spirit of love, brotherliness and peaceful co-existence.

He said the people should rather use this year’s Eid-el-Fitr festivities to engender the spirit of oneness and also re-dedicate themselves to the virtues of love, patriotism and unity for the desired national development.

On his part, former presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Olawepo-Hashim called on political leaders and other stakeholders to unite and save Nigeria from imminent collapse.

He said political leaders in the country, irrespective of their political or ideological leanings should put heads together in order to agree on a workable agenda to stabilise the nation.

Okowa Calls for Prayers to Fight Insecurity Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged Nigerians to have full recourse to God for solution to protecting insecurity in the country.

He made the call in his message to Muslims in Delta and across the country on the occasion of Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

In the message conveyed in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika in Asaba, the governor said that Muslims and Christians should intensify prayers to complement federal and states’ governments efforts at ending insecurity in the country.

He added that Nigerians should also pray for the peace of the nation and to avert a possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic. According to Okowa charged all Muslim faithful and Nigerians to use the celebration for sober reflection and supplication for peace, unity and progress of the nation.

Don’t Forget Lessons of Ramadan, Oyetola implores Muslims Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State has urged the people of the state not to forget the significance and lessons of the just- concluded month of Ramadan.

Oyetola said this in his Sallah Message to congratulate the Muslim Ummah on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast and wish them a blessed and peaceful Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

He prayed Allah to accept all acts of worship and supplications of the Muslim faithful during the glorious month.

Ayade Harps on Peace, Oneness Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has congratulated Muslim faithful on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

In an Eid-el-Fitr message to the Muslim Ummah signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Christian Ita, the governor averred that “Eid-el-Fitr offers an excellent opportunity for Muslims to break barriers and reach out to fellow Nigerians, heal wounds and work toward a united, peaceful Nigeria especially at this time our country is facing myriad of economic and security challenges.”

Sanwo-Olu Seeks Peaceful Co-Existence among Lagos Residents Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has

Offering prayers to mark end of Ramadan at Agodi Eid Praying Ground in Ibadan, Oyo State…yesterday felicitated with Nigerians, especially Muslim faithful as they celebrate Eid-el-Fitri, which marks end of the month-long Ramadan fasting and prayers.

Sanwo-Olu, in his Eid-el-Fitr message released on Wednesday urged Muslims in Lagos State and across the country to continue on the path of spirituality and peaceful co-existence.

The governor said the occasion of Eid-el-Fitr is very significant to Muslims across the world as one of the major pillars of Islam, which teaches abstinence from worldly pleasures, steadfastness in prayers and total submission to the will of Allah in accordance with the Quranic injunctions.

Fayemi Tells Muslims, Christians to Live as Brothers Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has felicitated with Muslims in the state and Nigeria as a whole, for witnessing this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

Fayemi said the completion of the 30-day Ramadan fast was a rare privilege from the Almighty Allah on the faithful.

The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, noted that witnessing this year’s Eid el Fitri has crowned a long period of supplication and adherence to an important pillar in Islam.

Fayemi called on Muslims and adherents of other faiths to always pray for peace, progress, development and prosperity of Ekiti State and Nigeria.

Abiodun Urges Muslims to Uphold Tenets of Ramadan Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has congratulated them for witnessing the end of Ramadan fast and urged them to uphold lessons and tenets Ramadan symbolises.

Abiodun, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, noted Muslims had engaged in the spiritual exercise as directed by Allah for the past one month, calling on the faithful not to do away with love, prayers, unity and harmony that formed the basis of the holy month.

He further urged them to continue to offer prayers for peace and unity in the country, particularly in the face of security and economic challenges.

Time to Seek God’s Face over Insecurity, Says Akeredolu Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has called on Muslims faithful in the state and across the country to use the occasion of Eid-el-Fitr, to seek the face of Allah on insecurity ravaging the country.

Akeredolu made the call while congratulating Muslims on successful completion of Ramadan fast and celebration of Eid-el-Fitr.

The governor implores all faithfuls to remain steadfast and reflect the lessons of Ramadan through sustained supplication and commitment to the overall peace and security of the state and the country at large.

Niger Gov Felicitates with Muslims, Promises Improved Security Niger State Governor. Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has felicitated with Muslims on the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr festival promising also improved security in bandits prone areas of the state.

In his Eid-el-Fitr message Bello charged Muslim

faithful to continue in the spirit of the one month Ramadan fast by praying for the peace and progress of the state and Nigeria in general.

In the message signed by his Chief Press Secretary Mary Noel Berje, Governor Bello also called on Muslims “to apply the lessons of self-control, discipline, sacrifice and perseverance derived from fasting in the month of Ramadan, and stay off evil in the overall interest of the state and country.”

Ugwuanyi Salutes Muslims, Calls for Prayers, Sober Reflection Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has called on all Nigerians to take advantage of the occasion to reflect soberly and intensify prayers for the peace, security, unity and progress of the country.

In his Sallah message, Ugwuanyi, who felicitated with all Muslim faithful, stressed that the religious event has great positive impact on the nation’s efforts in surmounting its security, socio-economic and public health challenges.

The governor therefore enjoined all Nigerians to continue to trust in God and embrace the cherished virtues of love, charity, peace and sacrifice as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Mohammed.

Obaseki Urges Tolerance, Peaceful Co-existence The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has congratulated Muslims in the state as they celebrate Eid-el-Fitr after the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

In his Eid-El Fitr message, Obaseki charged Muslim faithful to remain steadfast and continue to pray for peace and unity of the country, noting that development and growth can only take place when the people are united.

The governor further urged them to embrace the spirit of love, selflessness, tolerance, sacrifice and charity, as taught by the Holy Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W).

Al-Makura Urges Muslims to Direct Their Action towards Attaining Peace The senator representing Nasarawa South in the National Assembly, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, has felicitated with Muslims on the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebration, urging them to direct their actions towards attaining peace and progress in the country.

Al-Makura stated this in a statement signed by his Press Secretary, Danjuma Joseph, and issued to journalists in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

He said: “Beyond spiritual upliftment, Ramadan fasting also teaches lessons of tolerance and peaceful co-existence, adding that the lessons would be useful if everyone plays his role in strengthening peace and harmony in the country.”

House Minority Caucus Urges Peaceful Co-existence The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has congratulated Muslim faithful on the completion of Holy Ramadan fasting, urging citizens to use the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitr to rekindle hope in the unity of the country.

The caucus in a statement by its Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu said Nigerians, especially the leaders should deploy the imbibed lessons of self-restrain and trust in God to engender honesty, justice, mutual respect, tolerance peaceful co-existence as well as love and care for one another, in

line with the teachings of the Holy Prophet Mohammed.

Ramadan, Window for National Healing, Says Nwankwo A leading gubernatorial aspirant in the Anambra State governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Chidozie Nwankwo, has called on the disparate groups threatening the Nigerian federation to have a re-think by imbibing the spiritual lessons offered

by Ramadan season.

In a message by his Media Adviser, Edward Dibiana, the gubernatorial hopeful felicitated with the country’s Muslim community for faithfully going through the fasting period, in spite of the harsh times.

Nwankwo, who is the Chairman/CEO of Wichtech Group, expressed hopes that the country would yet again surmount the current challenges confronting it.

Glo Felicitates with Muslims Telecommunications company, Globacom, has felicitated with millions of Nigerian Muslims on the celebration of the Islamic festival, Eidel-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Globacom, in a statement in Lagos yesterday, urged the Muslim Ummah to use the end of Ramadan and the Eid-el-Fitr celebration to continue to practise acts of charity, peaceful co-existence with their neighbours and to imbibe fully the tenets of Islam as taught by Prophet Mohamed (SAW).

Be Security Conscious, Ekiti CP Tells Muslims The Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Mr. Babatunde Mobayo, has appealed to Muslims to be security conscious during the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

Mobayo rejoiced with officers and men of the Command, the good people of Ekiti State, especially the Muslim faithful as they celebrate the year 2021 Eid-el Fitr.

This was contained in a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Abutu, yesterday.

Gombe Gov Felicitates with Muslim Ummah Gombe state Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has felicitated with the Muslim Ummah in the state as they joined other faithful in the world in celebrating the Eid el-fitr, which marks the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

In a goodwill message, the governor urged the Ummah to sustain the lessons of the holy month and replicate them in their daily lives for the good of the society.

Masari Harps on the Need for Patriotic Media As Muslims across the world celebrate the Eid el Fitr, which pulls the curtains on the blessed Month of Ramadan, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has urged the media in the country to be more circumspect in the discharge of its responsibility.

He said given the dire security challenges confronting the nation, there is need for the media to be more focused, patriotic and circumspect in the way and manner it discharges its responsibilities.

39

THURSDAY MAY 13, 2021 ˾ THISDAY

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Iheanacho Battles Vardy, Others for Leicester’s Goal of the Month Award

Femi Solaja with agency report

Super Eagles’ in-form striker, Kelechi Iheanacho’s recent goals have been shortlisted for Leicester City’s Goal of the Month Award for April.

The Nigerian striker’s three goals in the month under review will compete

Kelechi Iheanacho...nominated again for player of the month

alongside nine other goals shortlisted by the former Premiership champions with England forward, and top club striker, Jamie Vardy also in contention for the award.

The Nigerian forward dominates the nine-goal shortlist as his efforts against West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace are up for the monthly accolade.

Iheanacho, who scored a total of five goals in the period under review, aside Vardy, will have others like Timothy Castagne, U23 stars Tyrese Shade, Thanawat Suengchitthawon, Cole Dasilva and Leicester City Women’s Natasha Flint for the individual prize.

Last month, his goals also ranked him as the second most prolific attacker in Europe’s top five leagues with only his compatriot Simmy Nwankwo having more goals than him during this time.

AFN Confident of Relay Teams’ Qualifications for Tokyo Olympics Says no relay events at Mt Sac Meeting this year The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has said that it is not true that Nigeria’s relay teams currently in the United States of America (USA) seeking qualifications for the Tokyo Olympics relay events failed to register for the Mount San Anthonio (Mt Sac) Relays meet in California.

A Nigerian daily had reported that some former Nigerian track and field athletes based in the United States were angry with the AFN for its perceived failure to register the country’s athletes in the event held on May 9, 2021 in Walnut, California But Secretary General of the AFN, Prince Adeniyi Beyioku, yesterday appealed to sports journalists to always cross check with the federation when they are in doubt over the authenticity of the reports they are working on.

“It may interest the writer to know that there were no relay events at this year’s Mt Sac Relays due to the Covid-19 pandemic that is still ravaging the USA, especially California which has had over 3.76m confirmed cases and almost 63,000 deaths.

“It should also interest the imaginary former Nigerian track and field athletes referred to in the story that you don’t register for events that do not exist,” said Beyioku.

The AFN therefore called on all Nigerians to support the efforts of the federation

in qualifying the country for the relay events at the Games.

Beyioku, again appealed to sports journalists to consider the interest of the country and not cause unnecesary distraction for the team in the USA. Nigeria is vying for all five relay slots at the Games.

“As at today, we have provisionally qualified for the women’s 4x100m while we are just a step from making the cut in the women’s 4x400m and the men’s 4x100m.

“We are confident we will not only qualify for these events including the Mixed Relay event which will be making its debut in Tokyo but actually make podium appearances in two or three of the relay events,” added Beyioku.

Nigeria’s track and field team has won 13 of the 25 medals the country has won at the Olympics with the relays alone accounting for eight of the medals.

“Our athletes have shown with their performances in both the indoor and the outdoor circuits that they have the talents and the high ocassion temperament to compete at the highest level and Tokyo will provide the track and field team the platform to return to the podium 13 years after Blessing Okagbare (Long Jump event) and the women’s 4x100m relay team won Nigeria’s 12th and 13th medals at the quadrennial event.”

Iheanacho’s first-time volley against Burnley beat off competition from Ayoze Perez, Youri Tielemans, U23 star Kasey McAteer and Leicester City Women’s stars Shannon O’Brien, Esmee De Graaf and Sam Tierney to clinch the award for March.

Overall, Iheanacho boasts 18 goals in 36 appearances

across all competitions in the on-going season.

The former Manchester City striker has been in terrific form this season after struggling in the past to establish himself in Brendan Rodgers’ squad following his move from Pep Guardiola side on a five-year contract in 2017, for a reported £25 million fee.

His goals have helped the King Power Stadium outfit to their current third spot on the Premier League standings having accrued 66 points from 35 outings, behind champions Manchester City and Manchester United.

“I think a lot of people wrote me off, but I never lost faith in myself,” the striker told BBC

Sport Africa.

Having failed to score in the Foxes’ 2-1 defeat of Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday, the Super Eagles star would be hoping to find the net when the King Power Stadium giants take on Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley.

REUNION FOR GOOD CAUSE...

Founder, African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF), Engr. Noah Dallaji (third left, standing) and former Super Eagles players during a football match in his honour at the Mediterranean Recreation Centre, Asokoro, Abuja...recently

Awatv, Nigeria’s Free Digital Channel to Broadcast Basketball Africa League Games Basketball players, fans and enthusiasts in Nigeria now have the opportunity to watch African basketball games and sporting actions live on Awatv, Nigeria’s free digital channel (Channel 749).

Twelve games of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) which will hold its historic inaugural season between May 16 and 30 in Rwanda will broadcast live and exclusively on Awatv.

Speaking in Lagos on Tuesday, Bayo Adebiyi, CEO of Telly4 Africa, owners of Awatv said, “The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has announced that the league’s inaugural season will tip off Sunday, May 16 at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, with 12 teams from across Africa competing in the new professional league and we are thrilled that Awatv

would air all the live games exclusively for our viewers.”

The 12 club teams competing are from 12 African countries, including Algeria, Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia.

The BAL will kick off with Rivers Hoopers of Nigeria versus Patriots of Rwanda.

Adebiyi stated: “Viewers in Nigeria will be able to watch all the matches live on Awatv which is on National Digital Free View Platform showing in Lagos, Plateau, Abuja, Kaduna, Enugu, Kwara and Osun states.

The pre-event countdown show titled Road to BAL took off on Sunday 9th May 2021, running from 9 to 15 May, by 6:30 to 7pm and during the pre-event, a ten-minute segment allows viewers to call in, predict

and win fabulous prizes.

“The live tournament which will be take-off on 16 May will be anchored and co-hosted

by Deji Omotoyinbo who has presented Sports Shows on Radio and TV for a wide range of Corporate Sponsors for over 25 years.

Other on the set include, Bode Oguntuyi who has also covered many NBA Finals and All-Star Games as an accredited reporter and was a Basketball Columnist for ESPN; Oluwafemi Adefeso a Sports On Air Personality (OAP), social entrepreneur (B.A.L.L Africa) and the convener of the African Basketball Conversation, and Queen Moseph, the only female media officer in the Nigeria Men’s Basketball League with Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club.

Viewers are guaranteed

excitement, fun and a lot of dunking throughout the competition on Awatv free digital view platform channel 749.

Awatv is a National free view entertainment channel targeted at contemporary women, young adults and kids. It broadcasts nationwide on National Digital terrestrial platform.

The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Regional Office Africa has organized on the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America. The first BAL Finals will be held Sunday, May 30.

Leicester, Chelsea FA Cup Final to Air on StarTimes Chelsea will face Leicester City for the FA Cup final in Wembley on Saturday at 5:15 pmand the match will air live and in HD on StarTimes’ World Football channel.

The Blues go into the FA Cup final at Wembley against Leicester City as the favourites, especially as their last two results saw them beat some pretty impressive opponents.

Thanks to a stellar squad led by two German internationals Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are the

favourites of the final. But Leicester could surprise the Blues, which are battling on many fronts.

One African international who is bound to feature in the game is Kelechi Iheanacho, who has formed a deadly striking partnership with Jamie Vardy upfront for Leicester.

The Nigerian international was on target again on the weekend for his side in their 4-2 home defeat against Newcastle, to take his tally for the season to 11. He scored 10 of those goals in his last

nine matches.

Authorities have said that some 22,000 fans will be allowed into Wembley.

That leaves millions of other football fans who will want to see the match. And for African football fans there is great news as the game will be screened live and in HD on the StarTimes football channels.

StarTimes Nigeria PR Manager, Lazarus Ibeabuchi, said: “Football lovers in Nigeria can look forward to this exciting showpiece on StarTimes at the most

affordable rate in the market.

“Active subscribers can watch on the go by downloading StarTimes ON mobile app and linking it to their decoders, at no extra cost, to access the same content on up to three mobile devices. Also, non-subscribers can also watch live sports, sought-after TV channels and over 2000 video-on-demand content for as low as N400 weekly, with an option to subscribe with their MTN airtime, via our StarTimes ON mobile app,” he concluded.

Thursday, May 13, 2021

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“We don’t have a national assembly that appears to have the levels of patriotism and concern beyond partisan politics to realise that when this roof falls, it also falls on their heads. Partisanship is so pronounced that the people we elected and sent to Abuja think they serve the president rather than the Nigerian people” – Northern Elders Publicity Secretary, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, passing a vote of no confidence in the current National Assembly .

OLUSEGUNADENIYI Nigeria and the Danger of ‘Plan B’ THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

L

ast Sunday, the charismatic ‘House on the Rock’ Pastor, Paul Adefarasin told his congregation that no country has survived two civil wars. He warned that if the current situation degenerates, nobody can foretell the consequences. After calling on the government and other stakeholders to come together to address the challenge, Adefarasin then added a controversial statement that has gone viral: ‘’I bring you greetings from Pastor Ifeanyi (his wife) who is busy taking care of the frontier of our world and preparing our escape route. If you don’t have a plan B... I know you have faith. I have faith too but I have a plan B. With technology I can speak to you from anywhere in the world. Get yourself a plan B. Whether that’s an Okada to Cameroon or flying boat or speed boat as we call them to Seme Border or a hole in the ground, get your plan B because these people are crazy. They are nutters. The whole bunch of them. And watch the signs because it can happen like this. God forbid!’’

With insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and sundry other criminals seizing the national landscape and terrorising our country, it is no surprise that many are fast losing hope in the capacity of Nigeria to muddle through this time, as we did in such moments in the past. We cannot blame them. When burglars feel so emboldened as to make ‘foolish attempts’ within the precincts of the presidential villa and in the home of the Chief of Staff to the president, you know ‘water don pass garri’ to borrow a popular street lingo. But whatever may be the situation in the country, the reality is that only a tiny elite has the opportunity and resources for ‘Plan B’. For the vast majority of our people, there is no place to run.

The security challenge in the country is of course mind boggling. What compounds the problem is the failure of leadership that has ensured we are more divided at a time we should all rally to confront our common enemy. That is the import of Tuesday’s resolution by the 17 southern governors who met in Asaba, Delta State.

In a 12-point communique read by its Chairman, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, the governors banned open cattle grazing in all the 17 southern states and demanded the establishment of state police to tackle the growing insecurity in the country. They also urged the president to address the nation, be fairer in political appointments and convoke a national dialogue for the purpose of restructuring the country for “true federalism”. Noteworthy is their observation that “the incursion of armed herders, criminals, and bandits into the Southern part of the country has presented a severe security challenge such that citizens are not able to live their normal lives including pursuing various productive activities leading to a threat to food supply and general security.”

A former Nasarawa State Governor who also once chaired the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has accused the Southern governors of habouring a secessionist agenda. “We have

Pastor Adefarasin had this from them at various times as individuals. They have the right to express opinions on governance in Nigeria but what I have difficulties in understanding is why, (apart from being members of the national council of state, they have a forum for governors…) this secessionist attitude and why this separatist attitude? Why did they now aggregate themselves as southern governors? This is very secessionist, separatist and this is most unfair to the collective will of the country,” he said.

Adamu has a point. A sectional approach to a national problem is dangerous, especially given our current situation. But who do we blame if the southern governors play to public sentiment in their domains? It should concern the presidency that six of the governors who signed that statement belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In a crisp tweet yesterday, Director and Head, Africa Practice, Euroasia Group, Ms Amaka Anku summed up the tragedy of Nigeria: “Zero leadership from the federal government, leaving a huge vacuum for partisans and extremists to fill.

State governors playing to the gallery to distract from their own failures—convenient to deflect attention with meaningless shows of ‘action’”.

Meanwhile, there is hardly any commentator in the Southwest today, including the roadside mechanic, who will not tell you that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo reportedly said that Nigeria is ‘a mere geographical expression’. And they will use that to give a lecture on how sectional this administration is and that the only way forward is to ‘partisan’ the country. Well, an interesting document I found in January was Chief Awolowo’s first address as Action Group leader on 28th April 1951. At the party’s conference in Owo, Ondo State, Awo said about our country on that day 70 years ago: “It is true we speak different languages; but it does not require any laborious research to discover that, broadly speaking, we

originated from common stock; and that in any event our political and cultural associations have been of such long standing as to make us look upon one another as close relations. And above all, we are Nigerians whom both Nature and Constitution have joined together. It is within our power to remain together.”

The critical point in Awo’s statement is that staying together as a country is a choice. And like all nations, it is something we have to work for with a leadership that can rally all stakeholders. Can Adamu, in all honesty, say that President Muhammadu Buhari has promoted that cause given the way our diversity is being mismanaged by deliberate clannishness and in-your-face nepotism? That is what has encouraged the rise of ethnic entrepreneurs, especially in the South. It is also why some failed governors who ‘speak for their people’ remain popular despite their ineptitude.

Ordinarily, there is nothing significant about the call by Southern governors to restructure the country. When the forum met the last time in October 2017 in Lagos, their host at the time, former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said they were committed to the indivisibility of Nigeria but sought ‘true federalism’ and devolution of powers as the basis for the sustainability of the unity and economic prosperity of the country. So, in effect, the forum has only joined the current debate on the subsisting pseudo-federal system in the country by reiterating its earlier position. But the tone, content, timing and context of Tuesday’s statement is quite loaded.

There is a notion that the constitution is at the root of the internecine strife that has worsened Nigeria’s social and economic conditions and persistently threatened our corporate existence. I believe that the malaise is much deeper and I am going to address that another day. Afterall, a constitution, according to American Emeritus Law Professor and Constitutional scholar, Herman Schwartz, is usually written within a specific timeframe, most often to deal with immediate problems. Yet “overhanging all documents written at a specific time and place is the fact that it is impossible to foretell the future—and the future will always be different from what is anticipated.” So, while it is good to re-examine the structure of our country, nobody should be under any illusion that it would resolve all the many contradictions that have combined to hold Nigeria down.

The absence of responsible leadership at practically all levels and a docile citizenry are a bigger challenge. As I have said on this page several times, Nigeria has for years been a state in retreat given the way government has become removed from ordinary citizens. It began with public utilities when people had to buy generators to provide their own electricity. Then we moved to digging boreholes to provide our water. Then we subverted the public schools for private schools of all hues.

While our health institutions followed this tragic decline and neglect, everybody started providing their own security by erecting iron gates and employing security guards.

Communities began relying on vigilantes. So, members of the Nigerian elite have always been good at making ‘Plan B’ rather than ensuring that government lives up to its responsibilities. No nation develops with that kind of cynical disposition to national challenges that ought to be confronted.

Our current situation is compounded by a deficit of trust in Abuja. That is the crux of the matter.

In every sense, this is an anxious moment for Nigeria. But the lack of a rallying figure is what makes the situation dangerous. Under the system of government in operation, the president is expected to be the captain of the ship.

That ship is now in serious turbulence at a period the chief re-assurer of the nation faces citizens in perpetual doubt. The contempt for equity in the distribution of opportunities in Nigeria’s diverse society is the main reason the country is now so badly divided. It is an emotional issue that was ignored until ‘freedom fighters’ seized the narrative in the south. Whatever may be anybody’s misgivings, that was the point underscored by the Southern governors in their statement on Tuesday: “In deference to the sensitivities of our various peoples, there is need to review appointments into federal government agencies (including security agencies) to reflect federal character as Nigeria’s overall population is heterogenous.”

What the Southern governors have done is to use their collective position to express what many top APC members from three zones in the cuntry, (including serving Ministers) often whisper to whoever cares to listen about the lopsidedness in the distribution of opportunities under President Buhari. This is despite the dubious presidential statistics that awards 54.2 percent of all federal appointments to the South and only 45.8 percent to the North. Those who peddle imaginary numbers are yet to answer the questions I posed two years ago. Which appointee takes critical decisions: The DG/CEO of an agency superintending thousands of employees and resources that exceed those of ten ministries combined or a member of the board of a moribund federal parastatal that hardly meets? Put more directly, in a system based on patronage, how do you compare a special assistant in the office of the Vice President with the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) or Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)?

Besides, how do you concentrate critical appointments in the security sector only in one section of the country in a plural society without creating problems?

To compound the challenge, the Freudian slip by President Buhari shortly after assuming office in 2015—that those who gave him only 5 per cent of the votes in the election that brought him to power should not expect the same attention and patronage as those who gave him 97 per cent of the votes—has turned out to be the defining ethos of his administration. r/05& 1JFDF DPODMVEFE PO QBHF

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